The Lone Vigilante Issei
by Hide Shinyama
Summary: Issei Hyoudou, a hormonal first-year student would have his life changed by the death of his parents. How will he cope? And how will he deal with the supernatural? Together, Issei and his friends Matsuda and Motohama will go through trials and tribulations. First Fanfic. Inspired by "Human kind ascending" by Froggy-slice. Updates in Profile.
1. Chapter 1 The First Tragedy

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi, I'm Hide Shinyama, a first-time fanfic author. I've always had a love-hate relationship with High School DxD and always liked reading the fanfics which is why I decided to write one myself.**

 **I hope you'll enjoy it!**

The First Tragedy

 _Kuoh, Japan – Issei's room, Hyoudou Residence_

"Onii-chan, wake up! Onii-chan, wake up! Onii-ch-" the alarm clock went, until a hand stopped it.

"Haah" a young man groaned in his bed. "I had the greatest dream about oppai and it all went up in smoke…"

His name is Issei Hyoudou, a freshman in high school aged 15. A not so bad looking brunette who could be quite the looker… if he weren't so perverted… Issei Hyoudou is not someone you would call restrained… In fact, he loves porn… lots of porn... especially when it comes to breasts! He and his friends Matsuda and Motohama like to peek on girls while they are dressing. Of course, they would never get away with it, since the middle school kendo club (their most frequent victims of their harassment) would always beat them up with their kendo sticks.

But that wouldn't stop his perversion, oh no. He only got more determined to achieve his goal of becoming a harem king. Something he had always wished since elementary school.

And that was why he was having this dream about oppai, only for him to once again return back to reality. After getting dressed for school, he went downstairs where his mum and dad were.

"Good morning, Issei" said his mum.

"Morning mum, morning dad" Issei replied.

"Good morning to you, son. Did you sleep well?" his father asked.

"Yeah, I did. I actually did have quite the dream…" Issei said with a goofy grin.

"Ufufufu…" Issei's mother giggled. "It's about girls again, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it is" Issei's father replied with a smile. "Issei, is probably dreaming about having a harem or something.

"Mum! Dad! Stop it you're embarrassing me!" Issei said flustered.

"But it's true, isn't it?" asked his mum.

"Well… yeah! I mean, who would not want a harem? So don't make fun of it!"

"We're not making fun of it," his dad said. "We just like how ambitious you get because of it".

"Yes, we do…" Issei's mum said. "Yes, we do… But anyway" she said switching the subject "your father and I got us tickets for the next showing of Parsifal. Isn't it great? And it starts at 5 pm today!"

Issei sighed. His parents loved opera and listened to Librettos of all kind, while singing to it. Unfortunately, Issei got annoyed of hearing it, so he would go to his room and listen to music in his room on his headphones – or go to one of his friends' house to watch porn. Thus, he had no intention of sitting through hours of opera howling. So he decided to make up an excuse.

"Umm, sorry, but I was planning on going to Motohama's place later-"

"Issei!" his mum interrupts. "We bought tickets for all of us and they weren't cheap! Wouldn't it be a waste, if you didn't go?

"Yeah, but…" Issei tried to explain. "I hate opera. It's so long a-and to be honest I get bored with it real fast."

"Well, then you've got to get used to it" his dad replied firmly. "Family time like this is precious and your mother and I want to make the most of it - together." Issei sighed, but his father puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Son, you know your mum and I are busy with work… and I know you don't like opera, but it's just that the opportunity for it is something that doesn't come by very often."

"I don't know, dad…" Issei responded.

"Look, Motohama and Matsuda can wait some other time" Issei's dad said. "Besides, maybe we can do something you would like the next time."

"Yeah…" Issei said, before looking at the time. The clock said 7:45 am! He's going to be late for school!

"AAH, CRAP!" Issei shouted causing his parents jump in surprise. "I'm gonna be late! Bye mum, bye dad!" And so Issei runs out in a hurry.

"Don't forget! Opera at five! Come home after school so we can go immediately!" Issei's mum says.

"OK!" Issei shouts before hastily putting on his shoes, taking his school bag and running out.

"Bye, son!" his dad calls out before the door slams shut.

"Sigh, if only he would stop peeping on the girl's locker room… Then his chances of getting a girlfriend would actually become a reality by now…" Issei's dad said sadly.

"Oh, don't worry" his wife said happily. "He'll find a girlfriend. I'm sure of it. But now…" she looked at him with a wide grin.

"Oh, yes…" he looked at her grinning ear to ear and together they started singing the final line of Wagner's Parsifal: "Höchsten heil'ges Wunder…"

 _Meanwhile on the way to school_

"Stupid opera, so annoying…" Issei murmured while hurrying to school. While Issei certainly loved his parents, he could not help but feel annoyed at his parents' insistence that that he go to the opera with them. Sure, they wanted him to spend more time with them, but he could not help the feeling of being embarrassed of his doting parents. Besides, he really wanted to see the next Hentai Moon episodes with them (yes that is a thing though not in canon universe).

Issei decided to put those thoughts aside for now, when he came across Matsuda and Motohama who were also running to get to school on time.

"Hey, guys! You late, too?" Issei panted.

"Yeah" said Matsuda also panting. "I just can't help it if I'm having the most wonderful dream about my little sister making love to me. Hehehe…" Matsuda drooled.

"Wait… you don't have a little sister-" Motohama said.

"I know!" Matsuda interrupted him, crying manly tears in the process. "That's why I said it was a dream!" Issei only dropped a sweat at that.

"Be lucky you had a good dream," Motohama complained. "Mine started out with a girl with the best three sizes you can find, only for the girl's three sizes grew to nightmarish proportions, before exploding in… blood and guts! Ugh…" Motohama shuddered.

"Wow, that sucks" Matsuda said.

"Totally" Issei added. "At least mine is about oppai. - lots of them. Hehehe."

"Oh yeah, oppai…" Motohama replied. "I can't wait to see all those oppai again at the kendo club!"

"Yeah, oppai are the best!" Matsuda agreed. "I totally can't wait!"

"OPPAI!" the three shouted, as onlookers stopped to stare at them.

"What? We like oppai! Oppai are the best! And nothing will change that!" Issei said to the onlookers, who whispered to themselves before leaving.

"Seriously, though… I can't wait to see them." Matsuda said.

"Yeah… though… guys? Why did we stop?" Issei asked.

Motohama and Matsuda looked at him confused until they looked at the time.

"""CRAP, WE'RE LATE!""" they shouted in unison as they ran to school with everything they had.

„All right, who can tell me when-"

"WAAAAH" the perverted trio shouted as they broke the door from its hinges as they were desperate not to be late (thus interrupting the teacher). The whole class jumped in surprise as the door hit the ground.

"MATSUDA, MOTOHAMA AND ISSEI! YOU'RE LATE! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! AND WHY DID YOU BREAK THE DOOR!?" the teacher shouted angrily.

""WE'RE SORRY! WE ALL JUST HAD THE BEST DREAMS OF OUR LIVES!"" Matsuda and Issei shouted together.

"NOT ME THOUGH, I HAD A TERRIBLE NIGHTMARE!" Motohama added.

"WILL YOU BE QUIET!" the teacher shouted causing them to shut up. After calming down, the teacher looks at them sternly and says, "You three will sit down, right now! You will stay here and not cause any more trouble! I will go to the principal's office and the student council to notify them about this incident."

The perverted trio wince in response when they heard that the student council was going to know. The reason for that is because they had been at the receiving end of student council's discipline under Souna Shitori, the student council president. Most of the time it had been because of their constant peeping attempts – and because they would arrive late, too.

Nevertheless, they got up and sat their desks, while the teacher left the room disgusted, making sure not to trip over the fallen door. All the other students were whispering behind their backs.

"Perverts, not only are they disgusting creeps, but they are vandalizing the doors, too."

"I bet they were fantasizing about perverted fetishes of all kind."

"You think they could fantasizing about themselves having sex?"

"""WE HEARD THAT!""" the three shouted, startling the others, thus silencing them for now.

"Say, guys?" whispered Matsuda.

"Yeah?" replied Issei.

"We're in deep trouble, aren't we?"

"I'm afraid so, Matsuda" Motohama said seriously. "I'm afraid so…"

After five minutes or so, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were sent to the student office by their class teacher. While they were on their way, Issei broke the news about how he had to cancel their plans after school.

""WHAT? WHY?"" the two perverts shouted.

"It's because my mum and dad wanted me to go see this opera play with them. "

"Oh, yeah! Your parents always were opera fans. I can still remember them trying to sing some of the songs. Ugh!" Motohama shuddered, remembering their cringe-worthy singing.

"Yeah, opera sucks! Not to mention their singing" Matsuda agreed. "Tell me how long this opera was again?"

"Four and a half hours, I think?" Issei replied.

"Oh, come on! This is torture! It should be outlawed! How can anyone do something like this?" Motohama complained.

"Yeah, who could come up with this and think that was a good idea?" Matsuda added in.

"I don't know… Wagner?" Issei asked.

""WAGNER CAN SUCK OUR-""

"Will you two be quiet!" a voice interrupted them.

The perverted trio turned around and saw the source of the voice. It was the student council president Souna Shitori with her unmistakable bob-cut and spectacles. She always had this serious and intimidating aura, thus giving her this reputation befitting of a student council president. Despite that, she is still considered as one of the hottest girls at Kuoh Academy.

"Your shouting is disturbing the other classes by now! So shut up and follow me" she said walking on ahead with the perverted trio in tow.

"Sigh… This day can't get any worse now, can it?" Issei asked in a tired manner.

"I hope not…" Matsuda replied despondently. They've gone through enough trouble for today and they didn't even peek at the kendo club today. Oh, well. At least they could do it after the student council was through with them…

"You'll be punished by cleaning the school yard for the entire week during the breaks with no reprieve." Souna said coldly.

"""EEEEEEEEHHHH!?"""

"Breaking a door like that costs a lot of money. Consider this the least you could have done to repay the damage you've caused **and** for coming late.

"But, kaichou what if get hungry?" Issei asked.

"Then you can eat while you work and nothing less, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." The perverted trio said depressed.

"Good, you may return to your classes now" she said before she turned around to deal with other matters.

And so the perverted trio went out of the student council room fully depressed.

"Ah, man! First coming late, then my parents' opera, now this! It really did get worse!" Issei complained.

"Yeah, and you know what the worst part of it all is?" Motohama asked ominously.

"What?" Matsuda inquired.

"We can't peep on the kendo club for the entire week."

Silence overcame them all – brief moment, at least.

"""WHAT, OH NOOOOOO!"""

 _Later during the third break_

The perverted trio were picking up trash with their trash pickers and pales. There may not have been a lot of trash lying around, but going around the school yard just finding all the bits and pieces of trash was annoying! And they had to do it on **all** their breaks for the rest of the week (and it was Monday mind you)!

While they were doing their jobs a group of girls came over and decided to have a little fun.

"Hey, look at you" snickered one of the girls, a brunette with a pony-tail.

"Shut up!" said Issei. "We've got work to do! So if you don't mind, could you leave us alone, Murayama?"

"Look who's talking?" said the girl with pink hair next to Murayama. "You like to peep on us, repeatedly. So why can't we have talk to you while you're working?"

"Because oppai are the best, Katase!" Matsuda exclaimed. "They are our delight, our love, our everything! How could we possibly not see those jugs of yours?" That comment caused the pink-haired girl called Katase to glare at them.

"You do that, we'll wreck your balls" she threatened. Some of the other girls joined in, too.

"And break your legs!" "We'll make sure your arms are ripped off!" "We'll gouge your eyes out!"

The three boys flinch at their intimidation. But thankfully, the girls decided to turn around and walk away with their noses in the air. The perverted trio just sighed in relief as they left and decided to focus on their work.

"Oh man! I was so hoping we could see their sexy lingerie, instead of being laughed at by them. Man, this sucks!"

"Totally!"

"Agreed!" The three complained, Issei just wanting to end all this cleaning.

"Man, where does all this trash come from? Don't they know that there are bins around here? I mean, how hard is it to just throw them in the bin?" Issei complained.

"Yeah," Motohama replied. "But worst of all… we have to do this for the entire week!" He said sobbing. The other two joined crying in a cartoonish manner.

"This isn't fair! Why does this happen to us?" Matsuda wailed.

"Yeah, totally! Could it possibly get any worse?" As if in response to his rhetorical question, the clouds start to rumble and turn gray.

""Issei…"" Issei's friends turn to him growling, surprising Issei.

"What? What did I do?" he asked. And he got his answer when the rain came falling down.

"Oh…"

""WE'RE NEVER GOING TO ASK THAT QUESTION AGAIN!"" they yelled at him, before the three scampered to get inside.

After class had ended, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were walking back home. By then the rain had stopped and so they didn't have any problems getting home wet. Their day had gone down the drain, ever since it began. And so, they walked home gloomily, completely depressed.

"Oh, man!" Motohama complained. "This has got to be the worst day ever! Not one thing has gone right! First we come late, then we get scolded and gossiped about in class, then we get sentenced to a week worth of breaks collecting trash and now rain! Seriously this day-"

""DON'T SAY IT!"" Matsuda and Issei yelled, scaring Motohama.

"From now on, instead of worrying about what misfortune may come next, we should focus on the bright things that lie ahead." Motohama advised.

"Yeah, at least we all get to go home and enjoy the rest of… the… oh, no…" Issei wavered off.

"What's wrong, Issei?" Matsuda asked worriedly.

"The Parsifal opera at 5 pm! I almost forgot about it!" Issei exclaimed horrified.

"Dude, just relax!" Matsuda said calmly.

"Yeah, remember. Think positively! Think about something else, like oppai!" Motohama said.

"Or legs, or girl's skirts, socks and leggings or their flexibility!" Matsuda added.

"Ummm, dude, you sure have some… unusual fetishes there." Issei replied dumbfoundedly.

"Ehehehe, well, yeah… they certainly are not common fetishes." Matsuda said slightly embarrassed.

"But seriously, think about something good" Motohama continued. "Otherwise it can only get worse."

"Like we saw today" Issei added. Then suddenly, Issei had an idea.

"I know! I can fall asleep!"

"Yeah, why didn't we think of that?" Motohama said.

"Yeah, it does sound like a good idea… But do you think you can actually… you know… fall asleep?" Matsuda asked.

"Well, I hope so" Issei replied. "Though I hope the music won't bother me."

"Ugh! I sure am glad I'm not going." "Yeah, me too!" Matsuda and Motohama replied respectively.

A little later, they arrive at Issei's house, where they decide to part ways.

"I guess, here's where we'll part ways, huh" Issei remarked.

"Yeah, I guess… Think you're gonna be all right?" Matsuda asked.

"I guess so. Well, see you then, guys." Issei said as he went inside.

"Hey, Issei!" Motohama called. Issei turned around.

"Think positively!" Motohama said. Issei smiled in response, as he went inside and shut the door. Going inside, he greeted his parents, who seemed to be quite excited about the libretto this evening, before going into his room.

Lying down on his bed, Issei thought about what Motohama and Matsuda told him about thinking positively. It sounded to him like a lot of wishful thinking. But then again, wasn't being a harem king also nothing more than wishful thinking? And if he still held on to his dream as harem king, why couldn't he have this? And so, Issei decided that he wasn't going to remain depressed. Instead, he was going forward.

Getting up from his bed, he swore. He'll think positively.

 _Later at 5:00 pm_

Going from the Hyoudou residence, Issei and his parents leave for the Grand Old Theater in Kuoh. It is a place where all kinds of events like musicals, concerts, ballets and even operas take place. Issei always felt like this place was for people from the upper class – who in his eyes always liked to fancy suits and dresses. Speaking of which, he also hoped to see some oppai as well. That desire only increased the moment he saw the many girls and women in their nice dresses. He hoped some of them showed some nice cleavage!

Issei and his parents themselves wore some clothes fitting for formal events, which made him feel less uncomfortable, seeing as they didn't stand out so much.

After finding their seats in the hall, it would take quite a bit of time till the opera began because people were moving in in great numbers. Meanwhile, Issei being seated in the audience, just looking around in boredom, was hoping to just go home as soon as possible.

'I wonder how Matsuda and Motohama are doing. They must be having a lot of fun right now' Issei thought. There was no way he could see oppai where he was sitting, since there hardly were any people worth ogling at and even if there were any he could not see them because the people before and behind him were blocking his view.

Finally, the play began. And Issei just decided to distract himself by daydreaming. Unfortunately, the music was rather loud, which made it impossible for Issei to go to sleep. And so, he tried as a last resort to at least find something in the play worth being interested in.

But the problem was he didn't understand what it was all about. His parents told him the play had something to do with the Holy Grail and a guy called Parsifal (or Percival as he is known in English). It didn't help him that the entire play was sung in German (which Issei didn't understand of course).

Luckily for him, he did fall asleep, while his parents still enjoyed the opera as it went on.

By the time Issei woke up, they were at the last act which Issei barely tolerated till it finished a half an hour later. As the curtains fell, the audience applauded. Issei sighed in relief. It was over! All this sitting around made his back uncomfortable. He couldn't wait to get back home.

And so Issei put his coat on got up and left with his parents and the rest of the audience.

 _On the way home at 9:30 pm_

"Issei, I can't believe you just slept through the libretto!" his mother scolded.

"Sorry, *yawn* I just had a hard time being interested, that's all" Issei said tiredly.

"Well, Issei. You should always learn to appreciate other things in life, try something different or new. Otherwise, you will never experience life to the fullest" his dad counseled with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so, dad." Issei said nonchalantly.

"Issei," his dad continued. "I know that you don't like opera, but I still think you should at least try to see the good things in everything – and everyone. Who knows, maybe you will never get the chance to see them again."

Issei didn't reply, as they walked on. Eventually, they went into a dark deserted alley.

"Dear, why are we going inside here?" Issei's mum asked worriedly.

"It's a shortcut. Don't be scared" Issei's dad said, but Issei and his mother still could not stop feeling uneasy. The alley was not only dark and deserted, but also smelly, littered with all kinds of trash lying around. As they went on, they see a street lantern with the light dimly shining.

But to their horror, they saw a man wearing a hood and a street jacket, giving him a kind of thuggish appearance. He wasted no time, as he pulled a gun out and pointed it towards them.

"Don't move! This is a stick-up" he threatened.

"W-w-what do you want?" Issei's mum stammered. But the man just hit her head with his gun, causing her to hit her head on the floor with a sickening thud.

"HONEY! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY WIFE?!" Issei's dad shouted as he grabbed the man's arm. Thus a struggle ensued between them with Issei's dad trying to wrestle the gun from the man's hand.

Issei, after being frozen in shock, decided to jump in trying to stop the man by grabbing him from behind. But before he did, the criminal had already gotten the upper hand. He kicked Issei's dad in the shin, causing him to stumble back and let go of the gun. The criminal pointed the gun at his father… and shot him through the chest.

"DAAAD!" Issei screamed in horror as he grabbed him under his arms from behind, keeping him in check. Issei struggled desperately to prevent the man from breaking free and pointing the gun behind him.

"Let… me… go… kid… or… I'll… kill… you" the man threatened, while struggling to Issei off. But Issei held on clinging to dear life, not daring to let go.

'I don't know how much longer I can hold on… I'm gonna die…I'm gonna die…But I don't want to die… Not like this… I… must… survive…' Issei thought full of fear. But then suddenly…

 **[Hey, kid!]** a deep gruff voice rang in his head.

'W-who…?' Issei asked mentally in shock.

 **[You can't see me, kid. I'm in your head. But that's not important right now. Do you want power?]** the voice asked.

'Y-yes…' Issei responded, as he tried desperately to hold the man back. Unfortunately, the man was resourceful. He decided to use his size and strength to push Issei against one of the walls. The impact hurt Issei, but he still held on to dear life.

[Kid, you don't have much time! Now, let me ask you once more: Do you want power?]

'YES, I DO!' Issei responded.

[Good, now imagine the most powerful being you can imagine and will it to happen!]

Issei thought for a moment and immediately thought of Son Goku from Dragon Ball, seeing as he found himself in a similar situation to when Goku fought Raditz. He closed his eyes and focused hard on Son Goku.

'I want to be stronger… Stronger… !' he thought as the man started moving from the wall and then ramming Issei against it. Issei's head hurt and was ringing.

'Stronger!' as Issei's head was rammed against the wall again causing it to bleed this time.

'Stronger!' as Issei nearly lost consciousness with the next blow against the wall. But Issei mustered everything he had to hold him.

"STRONGER!" Issei shouted startling the criminal with his loud shout. And then, it came…

[ **BOOSTED GEAR**!]

A bright flash appeared, temporarily blinding them both before seeing a red gauntlet that appeared on Issei's left arm. It had a green jewel and 2 golden spikes that manifested on Issei's arm.

"What the hell!" the criminal yelped. Issei on the other hand decided not to waste time and use his newly gained powers. Focusing on the criminal, he decided to apply more of pressure this time putting both of his hands on the rear of his neck in a full nelson.

 **[BOOST!]** the crimson gauntlet rang. Power flowed through Issei the moment it happened.

The criminal struggled hard to break free, but no matter how hard he tried, Issei continued to increase the pressure his neck. The man started to get frantic.

"L-L-LET GO OF ME! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" the man screamed.

But after briefly glancing at his dying father, who was still fighting to live, and his mother, who was lying motionless, bleeding from her head, Issei was filled with rage. Rage like he had never felt in his life before. He felt nothing but utter hatred for the criminal whose neck he was about to break with his armored arm. He felt like killing him in the most gruesome way possible!

"Let go of you?" Issei whispered dangerously.

"You hurt my mum…" **[BOOST!]** the gauntlet rang. The man started gasping for air, as his windpipe was being pressured.

"And my dad…" **[BOOST!]** it rang again, as the man started to lose his consciousness.

"AND FOR THAT I'LL KILL YOU!" Issei shouted as his power increased one more time.

 **[BOOST!]**

"AAAAAAGH!" Issei screamed, as he applied more pressure on the man's nape. But then suddenly…

 **[CRUNCH]**

The man's neck snapped forward in an unnatural manner causing blood to splatter on Issei. It made a sickening crunch that made Issei stop what he was doing, as he saw the man fall down with a thud. To Issei's horror, he could see that he had not only broken his neck, but also caused the man's spine to snap, too – with part of the spine embedded in the neck jutting out!

Issei just stood there shocked at what he had done, until he heard his father's raspy breathing. Issei got out of his shock and ran to his father and knelt down beside to him.

"Dad! I-I…" Issei didn't know what to say nor did he know what to do, whether he should be helping his mum and dad up and call an ambulance, try to stabilize them first or even try to explain how he got the gauntlet.

"It doesn't matter… Son…" Issei's dad coughed out. "Just please… take care of your mother… and… *cough* live…" Issei's dad spoke before breathing his last.

"Dad… no…" Issei teared up as he started to shake his father's body. "Please… dad…Dad, wake up! Please don't do this to me! Dad! Dad! DAAAAD!" Issei screamed cradling him, holding his now dead body close to his own. But then he let go of him, when he remembered that his mum was also hurt.

"MUM!" Issei shouted as he ran to his mother. He shook her, too, hoping she would respond. But her breathing had long stopped, as did her heart. On top of that, her head was continually bleeding through the open wound that was on the back of her head. For a moment, he thought he saw brain matter.

Seeing this, Issei coiled back in horror. He didn't know what to do! The horror of what he had seen was too much for him! His father dying… his mother already dead… the unnatural voice and the crimson gauntlet on his arm… and the criminal that killed his parents dead – by his own hands. Issei just stood there looking around horrified, until he decided to make a run for it. He ran out of the alley with his now bloodied clothes.

He sprinted to get home, not caring about his surroundings. Unfortunately, for Issei a few people saw him run home with bloodied dress shirt and pants and the gauntlet on his arm. And for those who did, they merely stood there in shock, as they saw Issei pass. Some even tried to call the police, but because it was so dark, they were unable to tell them how he looked like. All they could describe was that he was young, had a gauntlet on his left arm and was covered in blood.

Arriving home at the Hyoudou residence, Issei immediately opened the door with his house key rushed into the house and collapsed once he got in.

He was completely exhausted. Nonetheless, after a minute of rest, he got up slowly and started to take off his shoes. After that he went up slowly, came into the bathroom and decided to put his clothes for washing. But the moment he did, he realized that he would do it himself because no one else would… after all his parents were…

Issei started to tear up with what had happened just a few minutes ago. His parents were just fine not even an hour ago – until that criminal came. Not only that, but Issei ended up killing someone for real! Issei looked at the red gauntlet on his arm horrified.

"What is this? What was that voice?" Issei said to himself. He tried to pull it off, but the gauntlet stuck to him, as though it was part of his body.

 **[Don't do it! You can't pull it off!]** the voice spoke to him seemingly out of nowhere. Issei was startled and looked around. But then he remembered that the voice came from his head.

"W-Who… who are you? What are you?" Issei asked nervously.

 **[Partner, I know you have questions, but I think you should rest first. I'll speak to you once you are asleep.]**

"Partner? Asleep?" Issei asked confused.

 **[Yes, indeed. Though about the gauntlet on your arm, all you have to do to have it disappear is to dismiss it mentally. Try it!]**

Issei looked at the gauntlet for a while. But then he decided to close his eyes and gave a mental disorder to dismiss the gauntlet. It disappeared in a flash immediately.

 **[Good job, partner. I'll talk to you later in your sleep.]** the voice said, before going silent.

Issei wanted to talk to him some more, but the stench of blood on his body told him he needed to take a shower first.

Issei got inside and let the water flow on his bloodied body. He made sure to clean himself with soap and shampoo in order to get the soap off. But as he tried to get the soap off, the flashbacks started to come back once more.

This time he remembered all that had happened during the day.

Issei's late arrival to school, he and his buddies getting in trouble for breaking down the door, getting humiliated by the student council president, forced to collect trash throughout the school, being laughed at by the kendo club, going to an opera and then…

Issei broke down in tears, as the water continued to shower down on him. He couldn't take it anymore. He could take all those things, but not the horror of seeing his parents getting killed. The memories kept playing like a broken record, always showing him the same scenes over and over again.

The memories of killing his parent's murderer didn't help him much either.

The memories of him summoning the crimson gauntlet… the rush of magical power flowing through his body… the horrifying crunch of his neck and the blood coming from his neck… all that led to Issei scrubbing his body more intensely, making sure to clean off the smell of blood of his body.

But nothing helped…

In the end Issei turned off the water, sobbing as he went to his room and got ready to sleep.

As Issei lay on his bed, he was still sobbing, but now worry had crept up in his mind. What would he do if the police came by? They were probably going identify his parents and ask him where he was last night. So he had to make up an alibi. He could say that he was at home...

But Issei dismissed that thought. What if they asked Motohama and Matsuda? They would certainly tell the police that he went to the theater with his parents. So what should he say?

He decided on telling them that while he did go to the theater, he left early because he hated opera - which was kind of true by the way.

But other questions came up as well.

What would happen to him? Would hestill live here? Would he be placed in a foster home? What about money… food…school? All these questions plagued Issei, but he decided to fall asleep, still crying over the loss of his parents.

Little did he know that the crimson gauntlet and the voice within it would change his life – forever…

 _In Issei's dreams_

 **[It's time]**

"W-what?" Issei stammered, looking around in the dark void.

 **[It's time to tell you of your powers, the world of the supernatural and… myself]** the voice said, before revealing himself. What Issei saw shocked him for before him stood a gigantic European dragon, whose scales was as red as the crimson gauntlet that appeared on Issei's arm. Its presence only screamed of power… power to kill a god!

 **[My name is Ddraig, the Welsh dragon and the Red Dragon Emperor!]** he exclaimed in a loud voice. **[And you, partner, are my host!]**

 **[Host?]** Issei asked, bewildered at the dragon standing before him.

 **[Yes]** the dragon nodded. [As you already know, I am inside you – or more specifically in your sacred gear.]

"Sacred gear?"

 **[Yes]** the dragon said before gesturing towards his arm with one of its claws. **[Inside the Boosted Gear, the red crimson gauntlet you manifested.]** Issei widened his eyes in shock, before looking at his left arm.

'That thing was a sacred gear?' Issei thought, remembering the crimson gauntlet.

 **[You did a good job dealing with that human criminal]** the dragon complimented Issei **. [My powers, as you have seen, involve boosting your strength with each new sound of the Boosted Gear. With each new Boost you grow stronger, though there is a limit you can take with your fragile human body.]**

"A limit?" Issei asked curiously.

 **[Yes, once you reach that limit, the Boosted Gear will reset itself going back to your base strength.]** the dragon explained.

Issei stood there, his mind fully engrossed by everything he had witnessed. His parents' death was already shocking enough. But now he was learning that there exist things such as sacred gears and dragons – and that he had one inside his body. But how did that sacred gear end up inside of him? And how did Ddraig end up being inside the sacred gear to begin with?

Issei asked Ddraig about it.

 **[Sacred gears are born inside their hosts, though they only manifest themselves once they reach a certain level of strength or in your case the host's desire to live or grow stronger reaches its peak. As for why I'm stuck in this sacred gear and not roaming free… It's a long story. And I suggest you sit down and listen, Issei Hyoudou.]**

And so Issei Hyoudou sat down listening to the dragon's tale…

 **And that ladies and gentlemen was the first chapter.**

 **I created this fanfic because I wanted to involve the human characters of High School DxD into the supernatural world – especially Matsuda and Motohama who I thought could have been better characters. I mean, they've been friends with Issei long before Issei was friends with… pretty much everyone in the original story.**

 **There are a few examples that give the perverted trio more focus as a team, fighting against supernatural beings together, like "** **Human kind ascending" by Froggy-slice (shame he hasn't updated his story in quite some time, I hope he does so in the future).**

 **But hey, I hope you liked it. Please rate and review.**

 **I hope I'll update soon.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	2. Chapter 2 Trying to cope

**Hello, it's me Hide Shinyama, back with another chapter of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Now while I did write in my summary that Matsuda and Motohama would be involved, I initially planned to be bring them in later. I still plan to do that, but first I wanted to build up Issei as the Red Dragon Emperor – alone.**

 **As for the Devils of Kuoh, I thought that Issei would meet them at a later point – that is once he becomes a second year at Kuoh. Maybe I'll give them a cameo now, but still.**

 **The reason for that is because a lot of fanfics out there tend to make Issei go through these tragedies as a kid, skip ahead into the future as a teenager and have Issei be this overpowered, know-it-all protagonist that just bulldozes his way through the story and shocks everyone. While I don't necessarily hate those stories, they do leave out a lot of development in between those years.**

 **Which is why I wanted to give Issei all the development, training and well-developed bonds with other characters that he needs, before he meets the Devils**

 **I hope you'll enjoy it!**

Chapter 2: Trying to cope

Issei Hyoudou was walking to school, tired and depressed. Yet, nonetheless he managed to muster the will to get up and go to school. He hadn't been able to get enough sleep for the night because of the tragic events that happened last night.

On top of that, just about an hour ago the police came to his door to inform him of the death of his parents. Issei tried his best to act all shocked, even though he already knew about it. He managed to convince them that he went with to the theater with his parents, but went home earlier before the murder happened. He was scared that if the police found the truth out about Issei's hand in the death of the criminal, he might end up in jail for life.

He was nervous throughout the entire ordeal.

Thankfully, the police bought his story. They told him the address of the mortuary where their bodies were taken to and left. Issei was relieved, but the bitter reality remained.

His parents were gone! Gone, never to return…

Issei began to shed tears again. He missed his mum and dad. Their love and care that he had taken for granted was gone, too. He even missed their love for opera, though Issei still hated it.

He wiped his tears away, crying wasn't going to bring them back.

For now, he had to worry how to maintain the façade of normalcy. He didn't feel like blabbering about the death of his parents and make him the object of gossip and pity. He wanted to live a normal life.

Though speaking of normalcy, that was definitely not going to be that way – especially with the Boosted Gear on his arm. Issei looked at his left arm where the Boosted Gear had been. How did it go again? He had to mentally dismiss it to make it disappear? What if he mentally summoned it?

Issei tried and sure enough…

 **[Dragon Booster]**

… the boosted gear reappeared on his arm just like the last time. Issei looked at it and remembered the dragon Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon Emperor. Issei's mind went back to when Ddraig was still speaking in his sleep.

 _Flashback_

 **[Listen kid, thousands of years ago I was a dragon, like the kind you hear in stories, roaming around free to do whatever I wanted. I also fought and killed many foes, burning many with my fire which would burn so long till nothing but ashes remained. But then I fought against someone whom my fires could not incinerate.]** Ddraig the dragon explained.

"Really, who?" Issei asked.

 **[My rival, the White One! His name is Albion, a dragon that could use poison. Similar to me, his powers could also destroy any foe that came against him until he met me that is]** Ddraig chuckled. **[And so, we fought, putting aside our natural weapons and went at each other using our claws, scales and armors. We even developed our abilities to the fullest, creating new techniques. The ability to boost my strength was one of them.]**

"Boost strength…" Issei mumbled. But then a light bulb came to his head. "Of course, that's what I used against that criminal!"

 **[Exactly! Though abilities aside aside for now. I'll teach you more about them later.]** The dragon continued. **[As I was saying, Albion and I fought each other with everything we got. We fought for thousands of years, until-]**

"Until he killed you, huh?" Issei interrupted.

 **[No, until the three factions decided to intervene and kill us and place us in those sacred gears!]** Ddraig growled. **[Ever since then, we were forced to fight each other using our hosts as a means to fight each other. Not a completely bad thing, though, since I've been able to meet so many people that I would have never met otherwise.]** He explained.

Issei looked at him troubled and shocked. So, he would have to fight the host of the "White One" whoever he is. This wasn't going to be easy. After all, he still needed to think about his own future now that his parents are dead. He didn't want to fight!

The crimson dragon noticed his expression. **[Partner, don't worry yourself! I don't think that the White One will want to fight you as weak as you are. But you better beware that sooner or later, enemies of all kinds will gather to fight you.]**

"W-what? Why would they want to fight me?"

 **[Because of me! And besides, with you having killed your first opponent, people are definitely coming to avenge him.]**

Issei grew nervous. Now that wasn't good news!

 **[On top of that, the three factions are definitely going to get wind of my reappearance eventually, so they'll come looking for you.]**

"But wait Ddraig!" Issei said. "What if I just decide to lay low, stay out of trouble? Certainly, then we can avoid having to fight!" But Ddraig shook his head.

 **[Unfortunately, they will find you – one way or the other. There are beings among the three factions that can sense Sacred Gears like mine in other humans]**

"You mentioned three factions," Issei said. "What are the three factions?"

 **[The three factions are beings you may have also heard. Do angels, fallen angels and devils ring a bell?]** Ddraig asked, Issei's eyes widening.

"Wait a minute, they exist, too?" Issei asked surprised.

 **[Oh, yes, as do gods and youkai and many other creatures you humans consider mythical. Though for now, let us focus on the angels, fallen angels and the devils. Just like Albion and I, they have fought for thousands of years as well. Though in recent decades, there seems to be an uneasy ceasefire between them. Be careful though when you go anywhere. Either one of the factions could be here in this town.]**

"Devils, fallen angels and angels in Kuoh?" Issei asked.

 **[Yes, and any one of them could either kill you or recruit you.]**

Issei gulped. Definitely not good!

"So… what should I do? I can't just sit around at home all the time, I've got school to attend to." Ddraig laughed.

 **[Don't worry about that kid! I can sense their presence. I can help you out in this manner. I just can't let my host get killed that easily now, can I?]**

Issei's face cheered up. "R-really?"

 **[Though, we can't have you this weak forever. As soon as you've finished whatever business you have to attend, we'll go straight to training that scrawny body of yours!]**

"Training… huh?" Issei mumbled. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like this "training" that Ddraig had in mind. But if there were supernatural beings targeting him, well, that should make it worth it, at least. However, he had other worries to think about…

Like how he was going to cope all alone…

 **[Partner? Are you all right?]** the dragon asked concerned.

"I… I'm not sure…" Issei answered with a downcast look on his face.

Seeing Issei's expression, Ddraig realized what was going on. **[Partner, I'm sorry about what happened to your parents…]**

"I-it's ok…" Issei sniffed.

 **[Partner, it's ok to cry… You did go through a lot after all… But whatever you do or go through, you must not lose your will to live.]**

"W-w-what do you mean?" Issei asked.

 **[When you go through life and all its difficulties, you must realize one thing: There is always a light somewhere ahead of you, always something to live for. Never give into despair – for that will destroy you, as it has for so many before you.]**

Flashback end

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear smiling tenderly.

"Thanks, Ddraig. Thanks for being there with me." Issei said before dismissing it in a green flash of light.

Even though Issei was still sad about his parents' death, Ddraig's words encouraged him greatly.

Being completely motivated, Issei ran to school, ready for the day.

 _At Kuoh Academy_

Issei finally got to class the moment the bell rang, where he walked into the doorless classroom (it still hadn't been fixed, though the fallen door itself stood right next to the classroom).

"Ah, Issei!" the teacher said as he walked in. "You're on time – for once! I hope it stays this way!"

Issei nodded as the teacher started the Modern Japanese lesson.

He sighed. Same old, same old… Issei looked around as he saw Matsuda and Motohama. They looked and nodded to each other.

'Well, at least they are here.' Issei thought. 'Even though we still have to clean the school yard.'

 _During the break_

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were once again picking up trash in the school yard. As usual, they groaned as they picked up the trash.

They hated it! Why couldn't the students just… throw their junk in the damn trash can! What's more, it was Tuesday, so they still had three more days till they finally served out their punishment! Oh well, at least they could talk to each other…

"Ah man! Three more days of this crap! Why are the gods so cruel to us?" Matsuda complained.

"Yeah f*** this s***! Why don't we just gather this stuff and burn it?" Motohama asked.

"One: We would still need to collect this trash. Two: Wouldn't burning plastic cause… you know… pollution?" Issei responded. His two friends sweatdropped at that.

"Good point…" Motohama replied.

"But well, complaining won't help anything. What say we talk about something else" Matsuda said as he picked up an empty soda can with his trash picker and throwing it in his pale. Motohama brightens up upon hearing this.

"Yeah, that's right!" the glasses-wearing pervert exclaimed turning his face towards Issei. "Hey, Issei, last evening Matsuda and I were watching this anime were girls were fighting each other with their asses!"

"Really?" Issei said his mood brightening up as well.

"Yeah, but not only their butts, but their boobs, too!" the bald lolicon lover said, as he started to drool.

"Ah, man!" Issei whined. "I wished I could have watch it, too!"

"Yeah, you really should have! It's certainly way better than sitting in an opera for four-and-a-half hours!" Motohama said, not realizing the implications his words had upon Issei.

While the two were talking about what they liked about the show, Issei stood there frozen, his brightened mood now turned to shock. He almost forgot about it. Four-and-a-half hours of opera… by any standard that should have been a memorable event, but all that was overshadowed by the memories…

Suddenly, all kinds of images and sounds flashed through Issei's head.

 _Inside Issei's mind_

" _Dear, why are we going inside here?" Issei's mum asked._

" _It's a shortcut. Don't be scared" Issei's dad answered._

Then the images of his parents' murderer flash up.

" _Don't move! This is a stick-up" the criminal threatened._

Then the images of his mum and dad dead on the floor.

Before Issei knew it, he saw the look of fear in the man's face as he begged Issei to let him go. And then…

[BOOST!]… [BOOST!]… [BOOST!]…

"AAAGH!" the man screamed as the sound of his severed spine resounded, echoing through Issei's mind.

 **[CRUNCH]**

And then there was blood, covering his clothes. It felt so real… so real that he started to panic. Issei couldn't take it anymore. He screamed…

 _Back in the real world_

"AAAAGH! AAAAGH! GHHHH…" Issei yelled, as he fell on his knees, completely overwhelmed by the trauma and loss that he suffered.

Matsuda and Motohama immediately stopped talking to each other, dropped their buckets and rushed to attend to Issei.

"ISSEI!" "WHAT'S WRONG!?" they asked worriedly as Issei broke down in tears. They sought to calm him down, something that seemed to be working.

Although Issei was still shedding tears, he calmed down after a few minutes, they decided to go to a bench just near them to sit down. During that time no one said a word. Finally, Matsuda spoke up.

"Issei… what's the matter?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah" Motohama added. "I mean, at first I thought you were just sad about missing all that good stuff last night, but to react like this…" he trailed off. He knew how well Issei, just like him and Matsuda, loved oppai. They would even shed tears for them. But this was **completely** different.

It was more like Issei was legitimately grieving about something. And whatever it was, it was something serious.

"M-m-mum…" Issei started, sobbing while doing so. Matsuda and Motohama perked up upon hearing this.

"Your mum?" Matsuda asked.

"What about her? What happened to her?" Motohama asked earnestly.

"M-m-m-my mum… and dad… *sob*… th-they're gone…" Issei said, struggling while doing so. Matsuda and Motohama narrowed their eyes.

"What do you mean "gone"?" Motohama asked again. "If they're out of the house, surely, they'll come back, right?"

"N-n-no… *sniff*… they're not merely gone… *sob*… they're… dead…" At that Matsuda and Motohama instantly widened their eyes.

""WHAT!"" they shouted. Their shout was so loud that pretty much the whole school could hear them. Students stopped, wondering where the sound was coming from. Those in the yard knew who shouted, but gave little to no heed, as they continued with their business (because nobody wanted anything to do with the perverted trio). Issei's two friends on the other hand were completely shocked with what they heard.

"W-w-what do you mean they're dead!?" Matsuda asked incredulously.

"Yeah, how on earth did this happen?" Motohama asking as well. Seeing that the cat is out of the bag Issei told them – though not the whole truth about him being there at the time of their deaths.

"The police came to the door… and told me that their bodies were found in an alleyway near the theater… *sniff*… and that another corpse was there, too *sob*..."

"Wait a minute. Another corpse?" Motohama asked.

"Y-yeah…*sniff*…" Issei said. "They said that it might be the body of their killer… *sniff*…"

"What!? The killer was dead, too?" Matsuda was shocked. The victims and the culprit dead? How was that even possible!?

"Y-yeah…*sob*… apparently b-b-both my mum… and dad… were killed with the gun… *sob*… that the killer used… the blunt end… *sniff*… on my mum… and a bullet on my dad…*sniff*…" Issei found it hard to talk about it, but he continued nonetheless in order to satisfy his friends' curiosity.

"B-b-but the killer himself was… broken by his neck… his spine jutted out from behind… *sob*…" his friends flinched, while looking completely horrified upon hearing that. They never expected to hear something so… graphic and disturbing. It was like one of those criminal investigation series, except this was completely real. To think that Issei had to go through something like that… they could not possibly imagine that.

"S-so… who killed that guy?" Motohama asked cautiously.

"I-I don't know…*sniff*…" Issei said untruthfully. He made sure that his friends didn't find out the truth about his involvement in that man's death. Spilling the beans on that would have been too much for Issei.

Matsuda and Motohama, being the good friends that they were, decided to stop asking questions about the incident and just sat there comforting Issei. Although a few minutes passed and the break was half-way through, it felt like hours for them. By that time Issei had stopped crying, his face being completely hollow and empty.

"So…" Matsuda decided to ask. "What will you do?" Upon hearing this, Issei said nothing for a while, but then…

"I don't know…" Issei said, his bangs covering his eyes, before standing up. "But I do know that I don't feel well. I'm going home, so please tell the teachers that I'm sick" he said before walking away.

"Wait!" Matsuda called out to Issei. Issei didn't stop, though, as he went into the school building to collect his things, leaving Matsuda and Motohama with the trash-picking equipment behind.

"Issei…" Motohama whispered sadly. Matsuda nodded.

"Issei… I… We're so sorry…" Matsuda added, as they watched Issei walk away.

They have gone through plenty humiliations and disappointments, but never through as much grief as this. And seeing Issei walk away like this… made them feel… distant… like their bonds were being severed… As a result, they started to shed tears. Not comical tears like they normally would when it came to their unfulfilled perverted desires, but **real** tears…

Tears of grief, genuine sorrow and loneliness…

 _Inside Kuoh Academy_

Issei was walking down the hallway when he finally reached his classroom. He almost instinctively wanted to open the door, but then realized that the door wasn't fixed yet.

Issei chuckled a bit, as he went on to get his coat and school bag.

After taking them, he left the classroom and was in the hallway once more. On the way, he saw Murayama and Katase from the school kendo club coming towards him.

'Crap,' Issei thought. 'Why did I have to come across those two? I'll just ignore them. Maybe, they'll leave me alone.'

Though unfortunately that didn't work out.

"Hey, pervert!" The pink-haired girl named Katase said causing Issei to stop. "You're supposed to be cleaning the school yard!"

"Yeah, what are you doing anyway?" said the brunette called Murayama before noticing the bag on his shoulders and the jacket that he had on.

"Wait, where are you going? Are you skipping school, pervert?" Murayama questioned in an interrogating manner.

"Class isn't over peeping, Tom! We still classes for three more double periods" Katase added. But Issei gave no heed, as he moved on. But Murayama wouldn't let him.

"Hey, we're talking to you!" she yelled as she forcefully put a hand on his shoulder. Issei, however, remained unmoved.

"I'm not in a mood to talk to you right now… just… leave me alone…" he said tiredly as he shrugged Murayama's hand off. But the two kendo girls wouldn't let up.

"Hey, we're not finished-" Katase began.

"OH, JUST SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Issei shouted. This startled the two, since Issei they have never seen Hyoudou react this angrily before. Sure, they've seen him and his buddies perving around with lecherous grins before, not to mention crying manly tears when they get caught peeping on them, in addition to painful grimaces. But this? But Issei calmed down, as though he never shouted at all and spoke in the same tired lifeless tone.

"Just… leave me alone… I'm not feeling well. I… just can't continue school like this…" he said before going on to the staircase.

As Issei left the two girls behind, they couldn't help but feel… concerned for him. For a second they thought that they not only heard anger coming from him… but sadness, too?

"H-Hyoudou-san…" Murayama said. Whatever hate and resentment she felt for him vanished at that moment. All she felt was a sense of confusion… and pity. Why was he acting like that? What could have happened to him that could cause him to be so… down all the sudden? She didn't know…

Her friend Katase felt the same thing. She just didn't know what to make of this. All she knew was that something was off… something definitely happened to Hyoudou. Something terrible…

 _Meanwhile with Issei_

The bell rang, signifying the end of the break. By that time, Issei was already out of the school building. He really needed to get home and rest. There was no way he could just pretend like nothing was wrong. Consequences be damned, he couldn't take it anymore!

Trying to get the stress out of his system, he ran.

He ran till he eventually got home. By the time he got inside his house, Issei was completely exhausted. He collapsed to the ground.

'It's one thing after the next' Issei thought. He had never felt so emotionally restless before. Is this what people go through when they lose their loved ones? The bitter reality of it was shocking. Now that he thought of it, anime characters go through this stuff seemingly all the time. But experiencing it was completely different from what he had imagined.

 **[Partner, are you all right?]** Ddraig asked suddenly. Issei got up and looked around alarmingly. But then he remembered that he knew this voice.

"Ddraig?" he asked. "W-where are you?"

 **[I'm inside your consciousness, Partner. You can't see me.]** the dragon answered.

"*Sigh* It's just like these animes… first you're living all alone, then a mysterious being moves into your life and helps you out…"

 **[What was that?]** the dragon asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing" Issei replied nervously. He wasn't in a mood to explain Ddraig all about animes in case he didn't know what they were.

 **[But anyway, Partner. It seems you're done with your business today. So let's get to training]** Issei sighed at this, his mood going somber once again.

"Umm, not today, Ddraig." Issei said. "I really don't feel well… Can't we call it a day?"

 **[What? But the day isn't over yet.]** Ddraig argued.

"Look, I know. It's just… I'm not in a mood now a-"

 **[Partner, listen to me!]** Ddraig cut in. **[You can't go around suppressing your grief in like this. I know you are having a tough time, but now is not the time to be sulking at home!]**

"Shut up! Just leave me alone! Can't you see I'm grieving here?" Issei shouted, before tears start shimmering in his eyes again. "Can't you see that I'm tired?" he said more softly. But Ddraig was having none of that.

 **[Then all the more reason for you to get up and get things done! I know it's hard, but right now, you need to learn how to grieve responsibly!]** Issei's eyes widened at that.

"Grieve responsibly?" Issei asked.

 **[Yes, what you are doing right now is grieving the wrong way! You were trying to hold it all in, trying to hide secrets from your friends while refusing their help! By doing so, you were causing more grief as it is!]**

"W-what are you talking about?" Issei asked confused. Ddraig sighed at that.

 **[Partner, I'm not ignorant of your daily activities you know? I've been watching your day this entire time.]**

"W-w-wait what!? You have?" Issei yelped in surprise.

 **[Yes. I've seen how you told your friends only part of the truth, by leaving out the killing of your parents' murderer by your hands. I also heard how you ignored their calls for you to wait and just walked away. Do you have any idea how cowardly you have acted?]** Issei was stunned. He never saw of it this way. Come to think of it, he did notice that they called out to him, yet he didn't turn around to listen what they had to say. He was so focused on his own grief, he failed to see how he had caused his friends so much anguish.

At this, Issei blushed out of shame. What kind of friend was he? He could have just told them the whole truth, couldn't he? What harm would there have been in it anyway? The man was already dead, so would not telling Matsuda and Motohama about it erase what he had done?

Seeing the logic of Ddraig's arguments, Issei sighed once again. He had so many things to worry about, like how he was going to live, pay the bills, cook, wash clothes, his parent's funeral… at that he suddenly remembered.

"THE MORTUARY! I FORGOT!" Issei shouted. He opened the door and ran out.

[Partner, where are you going?] Ddraig asked.

"To the mortuary! I need to see them!" Issei exclaimed as he ran to the designated address.

 _A half hour later…_

It was nearly 11 am. Issei finally arrived at the mortuary. It took him some time to find it since rarely went to that particular area, but he found it nonetheless. It was near the hospital in the western side of Kuoh.

It didn't seem all that dark and gloomy, like he had imagined. It was a rather smaller building covered in white, but Issei knew better. For inside were the bodies of dead people. He was sweating nervously, but he mustered his courage and went in.

Inside was a small reception with a man standing at the reception desk. The man saw Issei coming and looked to him.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes," Issei asked nervously. "My name is Issei Hyoudou and I heard that my parents were brought here.

The man widened his eyes in surprise. "Oh, so you must be the son of the Hyoudou people. I'm really sorry for your loss. In all my years that I have worked here, it's not very often that couples die and get interred together. Please, excuse me for a moment" he said before walking to one of the rooms at the back.

After several minutes of waiting, the receptionist came back.

"Please, follow me" he said. Issei did so and soon they came to a particularly cold room.

'This must be the freezer room where they keep the bodies' Issei thought. It was dark and gloomy. Issei dreaded to see his parents' dead bodies.

They came to one of the halls were several people wearing blue clothing (the king that hospital staff usually wear) were standing near an operating table. It was on that operating table that Issei saw two blue body bags.

He could already guess what, or **who** , was in there.

"Now, son, what we need you to identify the bodies. Please don't be shocked by what you see. Tomoya, Makoto?" the receptionist looked at two of the men standing there and together they opened each of the body bags so that their heads could be seen.

Issei gasped. He saw them. His parents were lying there, completely lifeless and pale. He was expecting to be shocked, but actually seeing it was something completely different. He figured that something like that would happen someday. But this soon?

Issei looked at them, first his father, then his mother, before saying: "Yes… they're my parents…" Issei said lifelessly.

"I'm sorry, son…" the receptionist said. Issei didn't say anything at that. Instead his tears welled up in his eyes again.

 _Later that evening, 7:00 pm at the cemetery…_

After the preparation for the funeral later that evening. They got the funeral ready in the evening because Issei just wanted to get over with it. He didn't want his parents' death to be taking up his time in the near future. This is why he called all his parents' contacts (or those he could find) and invited them to the funeral. He even made sure to invite Matsuda and Motohama to the funeral as well. At Issei's wish his parents were buried, their bodies taken from the mortuary and put into coffins.

The event was very somber. All the guests paid Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou their last respects. They also gave condolences to Issei who remained silent during this entire time, yet still managed to be polite enough to nod in response.

There was a eulogy commemorating the lives Issei's parents lived. Issei's father was praised for being a loving father, husband and faithful employee at the company he worked at. Issei's mother was remembered as a sweet woman who was equally praised as a loving mother, wife and colleague. Many tears were shed, but Issei remained seemingly unmoved.

Sometime later, the coffins were carried to their designated resting place and buried. Issei stood there watching as their coffins were covered up by earth.

Time went by, as the sun was going down as everybody left. Only Issei and his two friends remained, just standing there at the newly-made graves of his parents. Matsuda and Motohama were getting ready to go home.

"Issei… are you coming?" Matsuda asked him. Issei didn't say anything for a while. But then he turned his head around and made eye-contact with Matsuda.

"No. I'll be staying here for a while. You go on ahead" Issei replied.

"Ok, man. Will you be at school later?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah… I will… and guys?" Issei asked.

The two turned around to look at him.

"I'm sorry for just leaving you like the behavior earlier today." Matsuda and Motohama didn't say anything. They just smiled and nodded, before leaving Issei alone.

Issei just stood there, not saying nor doing anything. Eventually he began to speak.

"Mum… Dad… I'm sorry for leaving you that day" he started. "I was completely freaked out at what happened. I mean… it's not every day you fight for your life… But anyway, please listen to me. I know this may seem kind of weird, but… I wanted to thank you…"

Issei smiled a little before continuing. "…Thank you for being my mum and dad. I mean, I know that I wasn't always the son you had hoped me to be… nor were you perfect either, I mean I hate opera and I still do. I mean, come on! If you had to live with your parents' terrible singing for pretty much your entire youth, you would also go crazy" he said before chuckling a bit. But he turned somber once again, though still smiling.

"But still, you gave me so many things. You raised me, fed me, taught me so many things… They were the best experiences in my life. Thanks to you, I was able to meet Irina, my best friend from childhood. I'll never forget him. I was so sad when he left with his dad. I was bawling like a baby and you were always there to comfort me…" Issei's smile then left his face, but he continued speaking.

"…Yes, you continued to be with me, even when I gained my love for oppai, harems, hot girls, porn and hentai on the way to adulthood… you still respected my wishes…" Issei started trailing off, before becoming silent, his bangs overshadowing his eyes.

"I… I just wish I could spend more time with you… It's strange isn't it? Now that you're gone… I realized… that every moment we shared together as a family… I treasure it… I… I really do…" a tear started to flow down his cheek, before Issei wiped it away.

"I… I just wish I could go back in time and punch myself for complaining about going to the opera with you because any moment with you… and I mean any moment… I will never have again…" Issei said, his tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, mum… dad… I wish I wasn't so whiny back then… So, could you please forgive me…?" Issei then broke down and started crying and heaving.

"I miss you! I miss you so much! Why!? Why did it have to happen to you!? Why did it happen to us!? Why would someone do something like this!? How can people be so cruel!?" he cried. Issei continued crying for a while until he stopped a few minutes later.

"And the worst part is… that this wasn't all… It's already bad enough that I'm living on my own without you all alone… but now…" Issei said before summoning the Boosted Gear, the familiar **[Boost!]** and green flash appearing once more.

"You see this…? This is called a sacred gear… Its precise name is the Boosted Gear. It allows me to double my power every few seconds. In it is Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, a being powerful enough to match the gods… I don't resent having this… since it was able to save my life and kill that scum… But now… I fear whoever he's friends with will come to avenge him… But not only him… there are creatures… supernatural creatures of all kinds coming after me… Fallen angels… angels… devils… all just because of this…" he said while looking at the crimson gauntlet.

The Boosted Gear's jewel glimmered in the twilight sun, faintly, yet visibly. Issei clenched his fist as his face became serious, determination written all over it.

"I don't know much about who I am about to face, but I do know one thing." Then Issei looked up to the sky and declared:

"I won't die so easily! I'll make sure to live on – for your sakes! I've got friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors and all of Kuoh, too! I'll protect them so that nobody will have to go through the pain of losing their loved ones, like I did! I'll get stronger… smarter… working hard to achieve my goals, in order to achieve it!" He turned around and was getting ready to leave.

"Rest assured, mum… dad… I won't disappoint you… This will be the least I could do to atone for my foolish behavior in the past… I'll make you proud… So then…" Issei started walking away.

"Until we meet again…" he whispered. Then he looked at the Boosted Gear.

"Ddraig?" Issei asked the dragon.

 **[What is it, Partner?]** Ddraig asked.

"Help me get stronger. Train me" Issei said, his face still having the same determined look from before.

 **[All right, first thing we're going to do are warm-ups. We'll start with running to test your endurance. Run to the school, then the hospital and then back to your house.]** Ddraig instructed Issei.

"Sounds like a challenge. All right!" Issei said, his walking now going into a sprint.

"Let's do this!"

 **And that was the second chapter of The Lone Vigilante Issei. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Now to be honest, I had thought of a lot of ways of writing this story with various ideas. In the comments it was mentioned that Batman came to mind upon reading this story. To be honest, I actually thought about making a story about Issei being Batman, or even being Robin.**

 **But then I realized that making him a non-killing hero would be hard to do. In part because of a lot of the enemies that appear in High School DxD, require some kind of lethal force in order to take them out for good. Besides, I always found heroes like Batman or Kenshin to be pretty unrealistic with their ability to avoid killing (that doesn't mean I hate them, actually quite the contrary).**

 **As for the story of this chapter, I'm sorry if I should have bored you by having Issei going through all this grieving and mourning, but I felt like building up Issei's character and the setting for my story a bit more. Don't worry though, in the next chapter Issei will start training and possibly meet his first enemies.**

 **Now as you may have noticed, I focused quite a bit on Murayama and Katase. The reason for that is because I wanted to get them involved, as well. Though I probably will do that after Matsuda and Motohama get involved.**

 **Speaking of Matsuda and Motohama, don't worry! I'll get them involved during the first arc. Not the Fallen Angels arc in the canon, but my own one where Issei will face some OC bad guys.**

 **I hope I can create a good training regiment for Issei, maybe have him learn martial arts.**

 **I hope to see you next time. Please rate and review!**

 **See you soon!**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	3. Chapter 3 The Red Vigilante in Training

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello, again! We're finally beginning with Issei's training with Ddraig and his challenge to take care of himself.**

 **Speaking of living alone, you know, this seems to be a common anime trope. The protagonist lives all by himself, his parents are dead or not home for some reason, the main chick comes to live with him by some supernatural means or reason (followed by some other potential love interests) and then all hilarity ensues.**

 **I don't quite hate it, but I do think it's overused, which is why I won't have Issei living together with any of his love interests in the foreseeable future. Plus, I don't know what the authorities are going to do, if Issei is left alone since he is a minor at the age 15.**

 **But enough chit-chat let us begin with the third chapter of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **WARNING! Potentially upsetting scenes ahead.**

Chapter 3: The Red Vigilante Rises

Issei was standing in a dark landscape. Looking around him, he saw nothing - Nothing but darkness.

"Ddraig?" Issei called. He was hoping the Red Dragon Emperor could hear him, but no answer came.

Issei called out again "Ddraig!"

Again, there was no answer.

Issei started to get uncomfortable. He started running… and running… and running… in the silent dark void. There was no sound, just the echoes of Issei's footsteps. It was then that he saw a light at a distance.

Gaining hope, Issei ran toward it. As soon as he arrived, his hopes turned into horror.

The sources of the light were the dead bodies of his parents! Issei stepped backwards in reflex. He wanted to run away, until…

"Well, well, well…" a voice came from the darkness. A man stepped forward, covered by a hood and a street jacket.

Issei looked at him in shock. It was the same thug who killed his parents!

"…if it isn't the piece of s*** that killed me the other night" he said, pulling out his gun and pointing it at Issei. Issei widened his eyes. He tried to run, but he couldn't because of fear.

The man pulled the trigger with the bullet hitting Issei in the leg. Issei fell down on his rear, screaming while holding his leg. The man smiled sadistically.

"How does it feel? Hurts, doesn't it? Well, now you are going to pay for killing me" the evil man said.

Issei whimpered in pain. He closed his eyes expecting death, until some voices echoed into Issei's head.

'Issei, don't give up!' one said.

'Wha-' Issei mentally responded. But another voice interrupted him.

'Indeed, don't give into fear! You still have so much to live for! You beat him once, now do it again!'

'B-but he's got my leg… I can't fight him like that!' Issei protested.

'Issei, calm down! When you are in a desperate situation like this, you must make sure to turn the disadvantage to an advantage!'

The thug approached Issei as he moved closer to Issei. He knelt down and put the gun to his temple.

'I'm dead!' Issei thought. 'How on earth, can I turn a disadvantage into an advantage? Unless… wait a moment…'

Issei just realized something. He saw a way to turn this situation around! But would it work? He had to try…

"Die you piece of s***!" the man said before squeezing the trigger.

"BANG!" the gun went, but not into Issei's head.

Instead, it went upwards, courtesy of Issei grasping the man's hand and the gun with both of his hands and pointing the gun barrel upward. As if by instinct, Issei summoned his Boosted Gear and crushed the man's gun, breaking it into many pieces.

"AAGH!" the thug screamed, as his gun wasn't the only thing being damaged. His right hand also suffered because Issei broke the bones of the thumb by using his right arm.

As the man fell down, while clenching his right arm, Issei used this opportunity to grab a hold of him and smash his face with the gauntlet-covered left arm.

The thug struggled, but Issei was stronger.

 **[Boost!]** the gauntlet rang, increasing Issei's strength.

Over and over Issei punched him, but the man tried hard to break free from Issei's hold.

 **[Boost!]** it went again. Issei was going all out, his fists hitting him with the strength of a hammer.

The thug's resistance broke and so Issei managed to punch him in the face again and again.

The villain's face got bloodier and his strength weaker with each punch, until he moved no longer.

Seeing that he was dead, Issei stopped and fell down right beside him. The voices started echoing again in his head, as he was lifted up into the air.

'Who… who are you…?' Issei asked weakly.

'You did well, Issei…' one of the voices said.

'I couldn't be more proud of you…my son…' said the other one.

Issei widened his eyes as he recognized the voices who were speaking to him.

'M-mum…? Dad…?'

'Issei, there is so much we wish we could say… But we don't have much time… Please, whatever happens, you must never give up on life… You have so much to live for… so much to see…' his mum said as her voice faded away.

"Wait! Come back!" Issei shouted.

'We'll always love you… Goodbye, Issei…' his father said before his voice faded, too.

"Wait! Mum! Dad!" Issei shouted again, desperately trying to get his parents to stay, but to no avail.

Eventually, as Issei went up higher in the air, the light became brighter and brighter, engulfing him in the light.

 _Kuoh, Japan – Issei's room, Hyoudou Residence – 4:30 am_

"AAGH!" Issei awoke with a scream.

Breathing heavily, he looked around. He was in his room on his bed. At that he relaxed.

"It was a dream. It was just a dream…" Issei mumbled.

To be honest, although it was a nightmare, it left him a bittersweet aftertaste. He saw his parents again, even though it was a dream.

Though, he had to admit, for a dream that seemed pretty realistic.

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig called to him worriedly.

"Ddraig!" Issei yelped in surprise. "Where were you and what the heck was that dream all about?"

 **[I looked into your head. I saw everything. I presume it was a nightmare]** Ddraig answered.

"That still doesn't explain where you were" Issei said. Ddraig sighed in response.

 **[I was with you, Partner. But I intentionally stayed out.]**

"What!? Why!?" Issei demanded.

 **[Because I wanted to see how you would deal with your nightmares)** Ddraig explained. **[Besides, it turned out to be a good training opportunity for you. You learned how to turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous one.]**

"Really, huh?"

 **[Yes. But that's not all. You were able to face your traumas head on and defeat them. That, partner, is a very good beginning to becoming stronger. I'm impressed. You have a lot of potential...]** Ddraig praised Issei. Issei just put his hand behind his head and blushed.

"Oh, please… Stop, you're flattering me, hehehe…" Issei chuckled.

 **[…Which is even more reason, why I want you to get dressed and go run the same course as yesterday]** Issei froze for a second.

"W-w-wait, what?" Issei asked confused.

 **[You heard me! Only this time, you're going to run back to the graveyard, then to the hospital, then to school and then back here. Get running! Didn't you say you wanted training?]** Ddraig asked rhetorically. Issei struggled to find an answer.

"Umm, well…" Issei actually didn't want to get out of bed. It was about 4:30 in the morning. Who would want to get up at this time? On the other hand, he knew Ddraig was right, so he struggled to say anything.

 **[Well then get your lazy bum out of bed! We've got a long way to go! And I promise you, it won't be easy. Now move it!]** Ddraig demanded.

Issei got up as demanded and got dressed. It took him five minutes until he was finished, before he rushed downstairs. Issei was putting his shoes on until Ddraig suddenly made him stop.

 **[Wait! Before you go, take a wristwatch and your school bag with you.]**

"What? What for?" Issei asked.

 **[The wristwatch to record your running time and your school bag in order to add weight to yourself]** Ddraig answered.

"Weights? Really?" Issei groaned.

Running all the way from the graveyard to the hospital to Kuoh Academy and then to his house was exhausting enough. However, the home-graveyard-hospital-school-home course that Ddraig told Issei to run was going to be especially arduous.

Moreover, he was going to carry his school bag during his marathon, so that was going to be tough.

Nevertheless, Issei complied. He needed to get stronger. He had no other choice. If what Ddraig said about the three factions coming after him was true, then he had to do this.

As the saying goes no pain, no gain.

Going upstairs, he took his school bag and his wristwatch with him. After that, he went down, put his shoes on, opened the door and left the house.

 _Outside, 5:00 am_

Issei huffed and puffed as he jogged with his school bag behind his bag. It was dark outside with very few if any people or vehicles in sight. It was quiet, the air was cool and all that Issei heard was himself. Issei had to admit, seeing the streets of Kuoh like this was quite fascinating. It was as if Kuoh was completely deserted - but Issei knew better, of course.

'No wonder, given that most of them are sleeping' Issei thought.

He eventually got by the cemetery. That was when Ddraig gave him the first instructions outside the house.

 **[Go in]** Ddraig instructed.

"Go in?" Issei asked confused.

 **[Yes, go in, go to the graves of your parents and then leave. I figured you need the extra exercise.]**

"Must I do this?" Issei groaned. He didn't want to go to the cemetery again, holds to many sad memories. Ddraig nodded.

 **[Yes, must. Now move it, Partner.]** Ddraig beckoned.

He figured it would be good training for Issei. Not only physically, but also in order to cope with the dark (and also in order to come to better terms with his parents' death).

Issei went in. The cemetery was even darker than the streets. Issei stumbled on, as Ddraig guided him.

 **[Forward, to the right, no not that way, there!]** Ddraig gave Issei multiple directions in order to find the graves of his parents.

Issei tried as well as he could, but it was not easy for someone who didn't have night vision (which Ddraig had, by the way).

Eventually, Issei did find the grave of his parents. He collapsed on his knees, as he did so.

 **[All right, Partner. You can take a break for five minutes. From now on, for every run you will take each morning, this will be a checkpoint of a sort]** Issei was shocked when he heard "run" and "every morning".

"Seriously, Ddraig? We're going to do this **every** morning?" Issei complained.

 **[Indeed, what do you think soldiers have to go through when they join the army? They go through grueling exercises like morning runs and calisthenics in order to build up their bodies. Besides, the devils, for example, have much stronger and more robust bodies than you. They are able to move faster and have more strength in their bodies than any human ever would.]**

Issei dropped a sweat at this. This was definitely not going to be easy. He thought that if he had to continue this exercise for… don't know how long, he might eventually die from **that** , than get killed by the three factions.

However, Issei did have a question about becoming stronger.

"What about the Boosted Gear? Didn't you save my power goes up with every boost?" Issei asked. Surely, if he had that why even train?

 **[While it is true that your power doubles up with every boost, it can only go as far as body can take it. After that, it will reset and you will lose all the power you have gained. Besides, it can only boost every ten seconds. What do you think would happen if you were to fight an enemy that could finish you off before you could reach the desired strength?]**

Issei shuddered at that. Ddraig had a point. No matter how good your sacred gear is, it would not help you if you're not in shape, similar to how a kid with a machine gun, could still lose to an experienced soldier with a handgun.

Issei sighed. He sure had many things that he had to do before things got better. Before he could ponder about it some more, Ddraig spoke up.

[Partner, you still have three minutes left. If you want to say anything to your parents before you leave, then you better do so now.] Issei jolted up in response.

'Oh yeah' Issei remembered. 'Since I am here, why not?'

He got up from the ground and walked up to his parents' graves.

"Hi, mum, dad" Issei said. "As you can see, Ddraig made me run this grueling marathon. I had to wake up at four just to run, can you believe that?" Issei chuckled.

"Yeah, unfortunately, I'm not yet done. I still have to run to the hospital, pass by Kuoh Academy and then get home – with this school bag, no less!" Issei said while showing his school bag.

"So, yeah… as you have heard, I don't have much time so I have to make this quick. I…" Issei drifted off. He thought it would be weird if he said it, but since supernatural beings of all kinds exist, why not?

"… I wanted to thank you… for saving me from that thug in my dreams. I don't know whether you came back to rescue me or whether it was just my imagination, but I wanted to thank you, nonetheless…" Issei smiled a bit, before it vanished.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Issei continued. "I couldn't save you when that guy killed you and yet… you saved me… after you died…" Issei began tear up.

"I… I failed you... Even, when I had all this power stored inside me… I still could not save you… Yet, you were able to save me… I'm pretty pathetic, isn't it?" Issei said in a self-mocking tone.

"Well, I won't stay weak for long." Issei said before wiping his tears away. "I'll become stronger. I will definitely become stronger. I'll make sure that I'll continue to train with Ddraig, even if it kills me." Issei then turned around and adjusted his school bag.

"I won't disappoint you. Until then. See you tomorrow." Issei said before departing.

He once again, continued his long and tough jogging course. Although, Issei was still somewhat tired, he felt energized. Speaking to his dead parents gave Issei the necessary motivation to press on.

Ddraig chuckled at that. It seemed like having Issei come here was the best decision. This was going to be interesting.

 _Later at 6:20 am at Issei's house_

Issei lay exhausted on the floor at the door, his breathing heavy. That run took a lot out of him. His bag was lying on the floor and Issei was reeking of sweat.

Moreover, it turns out that Issei had jogged took one hour and forty minutes! Seriously, how did he do that? Granted, Ddraig gave Issei a five-minute break at the cemetery, but still! Running like that might really kill him some day…

 **[Partner?]** Ddraig spoke up.

Issei looked up weakly in response. "Yeah...?" Issei asked still exhausted.

 **[I must say, you did quite well there, running like that. You just have to make sure that you do this every morning. Eventually, you will get used to it and then you will not be as exhausted as you are now.]** Ddraig praised him. **[I wanted to have you start combat training right after the run, but I'll save it for a later date once you get used to running.]** Issei widened his eyes at that.

"W-wait…" Issei said weakly. "I want… to begin… combat… training…" Ddriag was surprised at Issei's request.

 **[Partner, you are too exhausted. Wait till-]**

"N-no…" Issei interjected while getting up. He barely managed to stand and his breathing was still heavy. "I want to become stronger… and I want to do so, **now** …"

 **[Partner…]**

"Ddraig, please…" Issei said.

Ddraig marveled at Issei's resilience. He saw fire in his eyes, a zeal to get things done, something many of his previous holders had and yet Ddraig always was astounded at how his holders tried to become better.

However, Ddraig knew better. Why? Because Issei then fell down on his knees, clutching the sofa nearby in order to prop himself up.

 **[Partner, I understand your desire to become stronger, but you must not overexert yourself. You might end up harming yourself more than building up your body.]** Ddraig spoke.

Ddraig meant what he said, after all, he was one of the two Heavenly Dragons and those two always craved for a good fight, trying to become stronger.

Suddenly, there was an audible grumbling coming from Issei's stomach. Issei clutched his tummy in embarrassment.

 **[Another good reason to take a rest, Partner. Your stomach seems to demand some food before we continue]** Ddraig joked as Issei's stomach continued to growl.

 _At 6:30 am in the Hyoudou residence_

Issei was munching hungrily on some chocolate cereal, devouring it as though he had not eaten in days. It felt like a whole day had passed and yet it was still early in the morning. He had about an hour before he had to get ready for school.

Issei sighed the moment he thought of school. He remembered that he left school early because of his depression. Surely, Matsuda and Motohama may have told the teachers about it. He wondered if the student council president knew about his parents' death as well.

Issei thought. How could he show his face at school? He bet that everybody would be staring at him. Issei shuddered at the thought. The last thing he wanted was to be an object of pity for the rest of the school.

That was not his problem though. The three factions… Devils, angels and fallen angels… Where were they? Did they already find out his identity? Could it be that they were at Kuoh Academy, too? If Issei had to fight them, he would not stand a chance against them. Sure, he could double his powers by every ten seconds, but like Ddraig said, if the enemy could finish Issei off before he could power up, he would be dead before the fight even started.

Now that he thought about it, what would they do with ordinary people like him anyway? Do they just keep to themselves while fighting each other or did they have even more sinister goals? Is enslaving humanity one of them?

Issei shook his head. No, that is impossible. If they wanted to do that, they would have done it a long time ago.

'But still…' Issei thought. 'There is always the possibility that at least some of them might try to do so… just like in shonen anime…'

Whatever the case, if they wanted a fight they would have to go through him. He was the holder of the Boosted Gear and the Red Dragon Emperor. He would not go out without a fight and anyone who to take him on would have to realize this the hard way.

Issei stood up from where he sat and summoned the Boosted Gear and did a power-rangers-like pose to make his point.

"Beware you evil-doers! Your days of terrorizing and oppressing humanity are over! I, Hyoudou Issei, will see to it that you will be brought to justice!" Issei exclaimed.

 **[Partner, what are you doing?]** Ddraig deadpanned.

Issei snapped out of his fantasies, as he sat back down.

"Nothing, ehehehe…" Issei laughed it off.

He continued eating breakfast that morning, keeping his thoughts to himself.

 _7:40 am - On the way to school_

"Haaah…" Issei yawned. Despite his apparent fatigue, he was nervous. Worrying about his classmates and the dangers of violent supernatural beings made him wary.

"Oh well, at least Matsuda and Motohama are there for me" Issei said.

As if on cue, Matsuda and Motohama appear and greet Issei. They seemed to be a bit nervous for some reason. It probably must be because of yesterday's gloominess. Perhaps they thought Issei must have still been affected by it.

"H-hey, Issei…" Matsuda began. "How are you… today…?"

"I'm fine, guys" Issei reassured them. "It was kind of rough, knowing that your parents are dead… but I still got the future to look forward to, right? I'm pretty sure that's what my mum and dad would have wanted."

The two perverts brightened up. He wasn't gloomy anymore, though they still treaded carefully with him.

"Well, that's good to hear" Motohama continued. "But what are you going to do, now that you're… well… an orphan?" Matsuda's face paled out of shock.

"Dude! Saying "orphan" isn't all that appropriate, you know." Matsuda said, rebuking him. But Issei calmed him down.

"Guys, it's ok!" Issei reassured them yet again. "As for your question, I'm not sure what will happen to me, but I'm pretty sure I won't be sent to an orphanage or anything like that."

Suddenly, Issei remembered something he wanted to ask the two.

"Guys?"

""Yeah?""

"What about classes? Did I miss anything important?" Issei asked.

The two looked at each other, before looking at Issei.

"Well, you missed quite a few lessons in physics, geography and chemistry, but other than that, there wasn't that much homework" Motohama answered.

"Oh… that's good to hear…" Issei said. Inwardly, he was relieved.

'Whew, at least there isn't that much homework I have to take' Issei thought.

"Although…" Matsuda continued. Issei perked up. Although what?

"The student council president has been asking for you. She has been wondering about why you left school that day… and we told her… about your parents…" Matsuda confessed.

"What!?" Issei exclaimed. The student council president asked for him? That doesn't sound good.

"A-and what about the teachers?" Issei asked urgently.

"Well, we only told the teachers that you were ill, just like you said. Although, Murayama and Katase apparently found out about your depression. Did you tell them about your parents?" Matsuda asked Issei.

Issei quickly shook his head. "They only saw me leave school early… I may have lashed out at them, but… anyway how did Shitori-kaichou find out?"

"Well…" Motohama said. "Apparently, they were the ones who went to Shitori-kaichou and told her about what they knew. Naturally, she called us to her office and asked us about you. We tried to tell her what you wanted to tell us, but… uh…" he drifted off. Issei narrowed his eyes, as Motohama seemed to be nervous about what he was going to say next.

"What did she do…?" Issei asked in cold tone. Matsuda continued where Motohama left off.

"Well, you see… she apparently found out that we were lying… because, you know… the kendo girls told her about you being upset and so… and how you didn't seem sick, but depressed… and… well…"

"And well what?" Issei queried.

"She threatened to have us work for another week in the school yard! And that's when we told her!" Issei's gaze softened. So that was the reason, huh?

"Y-yeah, after we told her that she seemed kind of shocked" Motohama said.

"Totally, we've never seen her this shocked before! Normally, she has this strict appearance and look that can make anybody step away as though she were a demon, but to see her like this…" Matsuda trailed off.

The three of them just let the image hit them – especially Issei! The strict cold student council president being shocked? That was something they couldn't warp their minds over.

"But that's not all!" Matsuda suddenly remembered. "She also barraged us with a lot of questions."

"Questions?" Issei asked. What kind of questions could she possibly be asking?

"Yeah, like if you were ok or how your parents died…" Matsuda recounted.

"…or whether you had relatives who could take care of you or whether your parents had enemies…"

Issei was overwhelmed by these questions. He was already shocked to find out that the student council president knew about his tragedy. But now it sounded like she was literally concerned for him. He could barely even imagine the look on her face or how she sounded like.

'Oh, boy! What have I gotten myself into?' Issei wondered.

"Anyway, I think we should get to school first. When did she say she wanted to meet me?" Issei asked.

"As soon as possible, she said" Motohama replied.

"Yikes, is my morning going to be more hectic than it already is?" Issei asked aloud.

As if on cue a three brown and black bull-dogs come out of nowhere and charge full speed at the perverted trio, snarling as they went.

Seeing the three dogs, they immediately widened their eyes before instinctively running for their lives.

"ISSEI!" Motohama screamed.

"WE TOLD YOU NEVER TO ASK THAT KIND OF QUESTION AGAIN!" Motohama screamed as well.

"NEVER MIND THAT, WHERE DID THOSE FRIGGIN' DOGS COME FROM!?" Issei shouted.

"WAIT! FIFI! FUFU! FOFO! COME BACK HERE!" a man wearing a singlet, shorts and sandals shouted chasing, behind the dogs. Judging by the leashes and collars around their necks, it seemed like he was taking his dogs for a walk, but had seemingly lost control of them for some reason.

"""WHAT KIND OF NAMES ARE FIFI, FUFU AND FOFO!?""" the perverted trio yelled, as they ran for their lives.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM? THEY'RE LOVELY DOG NAMES!" the man exclaimed.

The bulldogs, in the meantime, were gaining on them, coming closer and reaching out to bite them.

[Hmm, I should consider, using dogs for our next training…] Ddraig thought out loud.

"OH NO! DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED, DDRAIG! I HAVE NO TIME FOR YOUR GAMES!" Issei yelled annoyed, clearly not in a mood for games.

"Who were you talking to, Issei?" Motohama asked Issei, while looking back at him and running.

"Uhh… No one… ehehehe… No one in particular…" Issei chuckled while still running. His face turned into a frown a bit later.

'Come on! I have been running all morning for more than an hour and a half! Just give me a break already!' Issei thought while the dogs were just a few inches away from him and were ready to bite him.

 _8:02 am at Kuoh Academy_

"All right, class!" the math teacher said. "We'll continue with our algebra lesson on page-"

"""WAHHHH!""" a scream interrupted her, as the perverted trio came running only to trip due to their own clumsiness and fall through the doorless classroom (the door's repairs were scheduled to be on the upcoming weekend).

The whole class jumped up in shock, but then immediately calmed down as they had a sense of déjà-vu about this situation. But to their surprise, this time the perverted trio had tears on their school uniforms and bruises and bite-marks all over their bodies.

"MATSUDA; MOTOHAMA AND ISSEI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?! AND THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!?"

"SORRY, TEACHER!" Matsuda responded, while getting off the ground.

"A BUNCH OF DOGS WERE TRYING TO KILL US!" Motohama added, likewise getting up.

"YEAH, BUT LUCKILY MANAGED TO ESCAPE WITH OUR LIVES! THE OWNER USED A SPECIAL WHISTLE TO CALL THEM OFF! Though I wish he could have done that before we were almost mauled to death" Issei finished, also standing up.

"I DON'T CARE!" the teacher yelled. "That doesn't excuse coming late to class! You're going to sit down, right now! I will go to the the student council to notify them of your lateness. Until then, turn to page 65 to 66 and read the text until I come back!"

The teacher left the class and promptly went to the principal's office.

The perverted trio quietly went to their seats and sat down as they took out their math books and turned to the given pages.

Whispering and gossiping about the perverted trio became the order of the day once again.

"Dogs chasing the perverted trio, hehe, I would have given the world just to see that."

"You know, it's a shame they didn't kill them. They would have been doing the world a good favor."

"Wow, look at those bruises! I sure am glad they even got wrecked by those dogs! Perverts and extreme fetishists like them need to die!"

Matsuda sighed. Everybody liked to gossip about them and say all kinds of stuff about them. They just wouldn't understand the love for sex and oppai. If they did, they wouldn't be gossiping about them.

'Oh well, I guess people never will learn' Matsuda thought sadly.

"Hey, guys. I heard the rumors. I heard Issei's parents died a few days ago" a girl with raven-black hair said. At that, everyone perked up.

'They found out? Oh boy… this is going to be a doozy…' Issei thought.

"Wait, is that true?" a boy asked. The other boy nodded in response.

"Yeah, I heard it from one of the girls in the student council. Apparently, they were going home from the Grand Old Theater in the city when they were ambushed" the raven-haired girl said.

"Ambushed how?" Katase asked this time.

"They were ambushed in an alley. His mum got smashed over the head with a gun and his dad, well, he got shot. Interestingly, the killer himself was killed, too."

"Really how?" Murayama asked.

"The killer had his spine broken for some reason. We don't know who did him in, but whoever it was, he had a red gauntlet on his arm" the girl smirked while answering.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other with uneasy faces. They were the ones who unwittingly spread the information of the details of Issei's parents' death and they were starting to regret it.

'We should have never talked about it in the first place' Motohama thought regretfully.

But he also didn't have a choice. It was either that or face the wrath of the student council president.

Katase and Murayama were shocked. What kind of people would do these kinds of horrible things?

Sure, they have heard of murders and violence of all kinds, but actually finding out that one of your classmates was an indirect victim of such a callous act…

So that explained why Issei was so broken yesterday. He had lost his parents… and they were pouring salt on his wounds by scolding him the other day.

They felt terrible. Really, terrible…

"Wow, sounds awful…" the first boy said. The raven-haired girl laughed it off.

"To be honest, I'm kind of glad that something bad happened to him. Hopefully, his perverted antics will die down because of it" she said spitefully.

At that, Issei widened his eyes. He thought he misunderstood. Someone was happy that his parents were killed? No, this has got to be some kind of joke!

"Umm… I'm not sure if that's the right thing to say…" Murayama said. She didn't like where this was heading.

"Oh, come on!" another girl with red hair said. "Perverts like that need to be taught a lesson! They don't even deserve any shred of happiness" she continued on haughtily.

Matsuda and Motohama were shocked by those callous words. They knew that people didn't like them. And they also knew that people wanted them "to die" in the words of the club, but this was different

Issei's confusion on the other hand started to turn into anger. How dare they! Making fun of him at the expense of his suffering!

Being hated by the school was one thing.

Being gossiped about was one thing.

Being insulted for his love for oppai was one thing.

Being beaten by the kendo club for peeping was one thing.

But this? Insulting his parents?

Issei started trembling at his desk in anger. He was trying to stay calm in the hopes that all this hurtful talk would stop, but it didn't.

"I mean, come on" the raven-haired girl continued. "These perverts are practically rapists. They treat you like sex objects. I mean, you girls should know" she said looking at Murayama and Katase. "They peep on you all the time."

Issei grew angrier. His hopes of staying calm were fading.

"I just hope Hyoudou would starve to death since his mummy and daddy won't be there to cook for him."

Issei's anger was starting to boil. He gritted his teeth and clenched his left hand.

"Or better! He'll be sent to the orphanage with poor quality-food" the red-haired girl gave her two cents.

Issei was getting furious. His bangs were overshadowing his eyes. He was considering many different ways of how to hurt those girls for their words.

"He must have been crying like a wuss when he found out about their deaths" A blond-haired girl added mockingly.

"Yeah, like "Mummy, Daddy, please come back! I need you guys to support my porn-obsessed lifestyle for the next 20 years!"" the raven-haired girl said, making the impression of a whiny little kid.

The other two girls laughed in response, though the kendo girls looked on uncomfortably.

Matsuda and Motohama were angry. There have been many times in their lives where they had been angry, but nowhere nearly as this.

But the worst one effected was Issei.

He has had it.

He was going over there and show it to them and he knew just the way how to do it.

He stood up quietly, his bangs still covering his eyes and walked over.

The girls were so engrossed talking, they didn't even notice him coming near them.

Matsuda and Motohama looked confused, as Issei approached those girls. They noticed that how calm he looked, but they knew that something wasn't right. The rest of the class thought the same thing.

Approaching those three girls, Issei walked on, he started to approach the raven-haired girl. At that, the girls stopped talking and glared at Issei.

At that Matsuda and Motohama had a bad feeling about what Issei was going to do, so they stood up as well and started walking over to them to prevent any escalation.

"What do you want, Hyoudou?" the raven-haired girl asked meanly.

Issei didn't say a word. But then…

"KYAAA!" the raven-haired girl screamed.

Everyone looked in shock as they saw what their classmate was doing.

Issei suddenly grabbed her hair and yanked her forward causing her to fall to the floor, her chair falling down as well.

But Issei wasn't done.

Still holding her hair, he forced her to stand. She yelled in pain as she was forced up, only to be punched full force in the face, sending her flying to the floor again, head first, knocking her unconscious.

The result of Issei's pummeling was a bleeding nose and a bloodied head.

The classmates closest to her gathered around her to check on her, as she lay on the ground. She wouldn't be getting up any time soon.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the blond-haired girl yelled, as she stood up.

Issei didn't reply, he just grabbed her by the shirt near her chest and shoved her at the nearest wall. The girl yelped as she hit the wall.

Normally, he'd be aroused at just feeling near her oppai, but he was so enraged that he didn't care about that. Instead, he just grabbed her throat and punched her in the face repeatedly as she tried in vain to free herself, but to no avail.

After the fifth punch, the red-haired girl, along with a number of other students, stepped in trying to force him away from her. Issei let go of her, as the blond-haired girl fell to the floor with a bloody and bruised face, gasping for air.

"HEY; WHAT THE HELL, MAN!?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" the red-haired girl screamed.

Issei turned his eyes at the red-haired girl in anger.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!? WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT MY PARENTS' DEATH, HUH?" Issei shouted, trying to break free. But unfortunately, his classmates had a tight grip on him.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER? CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH? FACE IT, YOU AND YOUR THREE FRIENDS DESERVE TO BE MISERABLE! ESPECIALLY AFTER RAPING US WITH YOUR MINDS LIKE YOU DO!" she shouted back. Issei snarled as he tried to get her, but the boys that restrained him, really did a good job at that.

As the class was restraining Issei, Matsuda and Motohama approached her.

"HEY, WHAT DO MEAN WE DESERVE TO BE MISERABLE?" Motohama yelled.

"YEAH, ARE YOU TELLING US THAT YOU WISH OUR PARENTS TO BE DEAD, AS WELL?" Matsuda queried angrily.

"AS A MATTER OF FACT, YES!" she replied.

With that, even Issei's two friends were itching for a fight.

"YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'VE HAD IT! MOTOHAMA?" Matsuda yelled. Motohama nodded, as they pounced on her like a pack of hungry wolves.

"OH NO, NOT YOU, TOO!" the kendo duo shouted as they got up to restrain those two idiots.

Matsuda was restraining the red-haired girl while Motohama was on top of her. She struggled hopelessly, but Matsuda was too strong.

"TAKE THIS! NIPPLE TWISTER!" Motohama yelled, as he twisted two of her most sensitive parts. She yelled as Motohama caused her a lot of pain.

Thankfully, he was yanked off by the ear and his buddy Matsuda likewise had to let go for the same reason.

"NO, PERVING AROUND, WHILE WE ARE HERE!" Katase shouted.

"YEAH, NO WAY IN HELL!" Murayama added.

By now, the neighboring classes had already gathered in front of the classroom to see what the commotion was all about.

They saw Issei raging like a deranged beast, struggling to get up from the floor, while his classmates were still restraining him.

They also saw Motohama and Matsuda, who were still being held by their ears by the kendo girls.

But most shockingly of all were the three girls on the floor.

One of them had bloodied and bruised face and was crying, as a girl was comforting her.

Another was lying unconscious and bleeding on the floor from her nose and head, as classmates tended to her.

And another girl was writhing and seething in pain, while tossing and turning on the floor while holding and rubbing her… chest.

While they were pondering about what they were seeing, the math teacher came storming in with the principal.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" the principal shouted.

Everybody stopped what they were doing. It was principal Hiroto Kujou himself.

"I was in the middle of doing important work when one of the students here came up to me and told me about a fight that was going on. Now will someone enlighten me why there are… three students here obviously injured…" he said glancing at the injured girls on the ground.

"…A whole bunch of rowdy boys wrestling in class…" he said looking at Issei and the boys pinning him down. They all backed off from Issei, while he got up and dusted himself off.

"… and girls pulling ears here?" he finally turned to Murayama and Katase. Embarrassed, they let go of Matsuda's and Motohama's ears, leading the two boys to massage their ears.

Everybody tried to explain. But the chattering was so loud that the principal shouted: "ENOUGH!"

The chattering stopped immediately.

"I want all of you to go to the hallway in front of the student council and wait there. And I want someone of you to call an ambulance. These young ladies need medical attention" he said before turning away.

The class did as they were told. They left one by one and went to the student council.

Issei and his two friends left as well, as they looked each other in the eyes. They were clearly down. They already had enough trouble for today, why did they need some more?

The one who was most affected was Issei. First his parents were dead, then he finds out that the supernatural was after him, then he has had to deal with his parents' burial, then his school finds out about his tragedy, then the troubles with the dogs and now mean-spirited classmates that managed to anger him like never before.

Issei dreaded what was coming before him. He already was scared of meeting with Shitori-kaichou. But now, he had even more reason to be scared. He was going to have to deal with the principal as well – and maybe the police, too!

Issei just sighed in resignation. He made sure not to wonder what could get worse because, clearly, a lot could get worse! He just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

And so Issei went, expecting the worst from what the future holds for him.

 **And that was chapter 3 from the Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **I apologize if this chapter was particularly upsetting for some of you. To be honest, I also didn't feel so comfortable writing a guy beating up school girls. IrateWritreviewer was right: Writing stories that can be mean-spirited do affect your psyche. I've always this preference for more violent and angry characters – especially in a school setting. I guess actually writing about them in action is a bit harder than I expected…**

 **In the meantime, let us talk about the chapter for a bit.**

 **As you can see, Issei went through his first training session. But unfortunately, he is not quite ready. He still has a long way to go before he can achieve Balance Breaker.**

 **Issei getting into trouble with the academy and possibly the law won't make it easier for him. What might happen to him? Will he be suspended or worse…? And most importantly: Will he ever succeed in his quest to become stronger?**

 **Yeah, I finally let Matsuda and Motohama get some action. I do hope to give them more time in the future and give the trio a real combo, but for now what you saw here is a foretaste.**

 **I hope you are not too impatient when it comes to the supernatural. But I am taking my time before I actually get to them, so please be patient.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Read and review.**

 **Till next time!**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	4. Chapter 4 - In deep, deep trouble

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello again!**

 **Last time, we went through a rather dark scene in the last chapter and now Issei is in a lot of trouble for what he did. What is going to happen? Will Issei be suspended, expelled or mabe worse?**

 **Well, let us find out.**

 **Here is the next chapter of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

Chapter 4 – The perverted trio in deep trouble

5th September, Wednesday, about 8:45 – Student Council room

After the brawl half an hour ago, Issei was now sitting nervously in the student council room. He was fidgeting in his seat as he sat across a rather unamused Souna. She looked clearly unhappy after she heard of what had happened.

Two girls with moderate-to-serious injuries due to Issei's rampage had to be taken to the hospital. Another girl had been injured due to the perverted trio… twisting her boobs (she shuddered at the thought of that) and had to go to the hospital, too.

Moreover, the whole class was more or less involved in a loud brawl that practically disrupted the entire school. This was definitely going to be a stain on the reputation of Kuoh Academy, something the student council and principal Kujou wanted to avoid.

First, they needed to deal with the main culprit: Issei Hyoudou.

He had gotten into plenty of trouble before for peeping on the girls while changing. He and his two friends, Matsuda and Motohama, were the bane of all women. Perverted trio… yes, they certainly did deserve that title.

What Souna never would have thought was that Hyoudou would start a brawl – against girls no less. She could imagine rape (since he and his buddies' actions bordered on rape), but not sheer violence!

Having Matsuda and Motohama and the kendo duo of Murayama and Katase questioned for violent acts of their own (though the latter two protested saying they were trying to stop the two of them from assaulting one their classmates) wasn't helping much either.

That is why Issei was sitting right in front of her in the student council room.

"All right, Hyoudou, explain!" Souna demanded.

Issei just sighed. He really was not in the mood to talk right now. However, he had to. Otherwise, he might never hear the end of it.

"I had just arrived in class when some of the girls were making fun over the fact that my parents died. I… didn't know what came over me… but I just snapped and… you know the rest," Issei said.

"And what were they making fun of specifically?" she inquired.

"They… claimed that I didn't deserve happiness and that I got what I deserved… They also said that…" Issei continued while getting angry at the mere memory of it again. "…they hoped my perverted antics would disappear because of it… and that I would starve... and even fantasized about being forced to live in an orphanage…"

Issei trembled out of anger once again. "They were even talking like annoying brats saying: "Mummy, Daddy, please come back! I need you guys to support my porn-obsessed lifestyle for the next 20 years!"". He spewed out before slamming his fists on the table.

"Those f****** piece of s***, they don't know anything about what I'm going through right now! They don't know how it is at all!" he ranted before whispering. "They don't anything…"

Souna remained stern unmoved upon hearing the answer. Sure, she wanted to express sympathy for losing his parents to such a tragic incident, but that did not excuse what he did today, even if they were mocking his dead parents.

"Hyoudou-san, I grieve for your loss, I really do, but what you did was unacceptable. Depending on what the principal decides to do with you, you will be punished accordingly" she spoke.

Issei didn't answer. He was tired and just wanted to go home.

"You will wait outside until you are summoned once again. Then the verdict will be handed down to you. In the meantime, could you tell Todoriki-san (that's Motohama's surname) to come in?" Souna said.

Issei nodded, before standing up and heading out the door.

Outside the doorway, he saw Matsuda and Motohama who were just lounging around waiting nervously for their turn. Once they saw Issei, they looked up.

"Motohama? You're next" Issei just said. Motohama nodded, before going in.

As the door closed, Matsuda and Issei were all by themselves.

Neither of them said anything for a while until Matsuda spoke up.

"We sure are hated, aren't we?" Matsuda said. Issei just looked at him and nodded in response.

"Yeah… I mean, why? Because we like to peep or because we like to stare at their boobs? Maybe, but go so far?" Issei asked, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall.

"I mean, what's your first reaction if you found out someone's parents died – by being killed by some one no less? Wouldn't you at least say "We're sorry?" Did those girls really have to go out of their way to make my life hell?"

"To be honest, I was also shocked when Mikasa, Karen and Mina said those things. I really can't believe people like that exist. Do they have sense of decency?" Matsuda said shaking his head.

"Though then again," Issei said. "There is a reason we're called the perverted trio, right? Who are we to talk of decency?" Matsuda dropped at sweat at that.

"W-well… you got that right…" Matsuda said embarrassed.

"Speaking of perverted, did Motohama really just twist Mina's oppai back there?" Issei asked.

"Yeah…" Matsuda sighed sadly.

He wished he was the one to touch her boobs. He bet Motohama was going to have a lot of fap-time at home just from the memories of doing it. Though then again… they didn't do it because they were horny, but because they were angry and thus couldn't properly enjoy it.

"We've got to ask Motohama for details later. In the mean-time…" Matsuda looked at Issei. Issei made eye-contact with his friend.

"… What about you?" Matsuda asked.

Issei looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the one who is going to take all the blame for what happened today will be you, you know" Matsuda explained.

"I understand you getting angry back there, but you still went overboard, you know. Now, that you're in deep, there is the possibility that you might get expelled!" Matsuda reasoned.

Issei was shocked. Why didn't he think about that? Peeping on girls was one thing, but beating them up was quite another… The thought of being expelled scared Issei. He only hoped that somehow, he would end up getting suspension instead. He still had so much to enjoy in Kuoh – especially girls, even though some of them may be nasty.

He wanted to become a harem king.

He wanted to become stronger.

He wanted to live a fulfilling life with his family and friends, safe and secure from all harm.

But yet, Issei realized that his life was going in directions, he never even dreamed of going even a week ago.

He was orphaned, left to fend for himself, with his parents gone till they meet again after death (provided he'll end up in heaven).

He killed a man by breaking his spine with a so-called Sacred Gear.

He found out that there were powerful beings coming after him because of the power that lived inside him – and a dragon that effectively became his new room-mate.

And now he may be in trouble of being expelled! Having to apply for a new school and taking an entrance exam was going to be a hassle.

'Oh great! How many- You know what? Don't even think about it' Issei halted himself mentally. 'The moment you say that, is the moment it gets worse. If it is going to get worse, at the very least, take it head-on.'

As he was thinking this, the doors opened. Motohama came out looking pale and shocked.

Matsuda and Issei came up to him to see what was the matter.

Motohama just mumbled to himself "Please, I don't wanna go… please I don't wanna go…".

As they pondered what he meant by this, the student council president called from within the student council room.

"Hibiki-san (that's Matsuda's surname), it's your turn now" she called.

The three looked up in surprise, before Matsuda nodded and went in. The doors closed with a modest slam.

Issei in the mean-time tended to an obviously traumatized Motohama. He was sweating and still mumbling the same words to himself.

"Motohama, calm down, tell me what happened in there" Issei told him.

It worked. Motohama stopped mumbling, before he deeply inhaled and exhaled. Issei patted his back in a friendly manner.

"Motohama, tell me what happened" Issei repeated.

Though, Motohama was still unsettled, but at least he was able to talk now.

"Issei, I'm scared…" Motohama started.

Issei widened his eyes. Scared? That wasn't something he would normally say.

"Scared of what? What did Souna-kaichou say?" Issei asked.

The brown-haired glasses-wearing pervert turned to look at him with a face that screamed horror. Issei was not going to like what he had to say.

"Th-the student council president said that I was in big trouble for twisting Mina's oppai. She said that she'll recover, but doing that was a serious offense. She called it rape. Then the student council phone rang. It turns out it was principal Kujou himself. He told her, and she in turn told me, that some of the students had already told him what Matsuda and I've done and now…" Motohama drifted off.

Issei listened with dread as Motohama recounted. But he was especially on edge when Motohama stopped.

"And? Tell me! What did He say?" Issei questioned. He had a bad feeling in his stomach.

Motohama gulped as he continued.

"She said… that the principal had called… the police…" at those two words Issei's blood became cold.

'The police? Oh no, oh no, oh no…' Issei thought. His fear of being expelled was going to be the least of his problems, it seems.

But Motohama wasn't finished yet.

"But that's not all… Apparently, the police will be here in less than five minutes and when they do they are going to ask all the witnesses about the brawl. She even said that the principal had received a phone-call from Mikasa's parents. They say they plan to press charges – against us!" Motohama ended dramatically.

Issei slumped down on his knees. His mind was completely blown from what he had heard. The perverted trio going to jail? Impossible!

Motohama crouched down next to him and hugged him. Normally, he would never hug Issei or Matsuda this way, but right now was not a normal time. It was a time of desperation and uncertainty for them.

"Issei!" Motohama wailed, crying on his shoulder. "That's why I came out the way you saw me! I don't want to go to jail for life! WAHHH!"

Issei didn't say anything. He just remained there, to shocked to say or do anything.

Then the door opened once again. Matsuda came out, running and wailing.

"GUYS!" he yelled as he jumped at them, causing them all to fall on the floor.

It was only then that Issei was shaken up from his frozen state.

"Dude, what did she tell you?" Issei asked.

"NOTHING GOOD!" Matsuda sobbed. "SHE TOLD US THAT THE POLICE WERE COMING! AND THAT WE WERE IN DEEP TROUBLE! WE MIGHT EVEN GET ARRESTED!"

"I DON'T WANNA BE ARRESTED! WAHAAH!" Motohama cried.

"YEAH, I DON'T WANT TO GET ARRESTED EITHER!" Issei joined in as well.

"OH, WILL YOU BE QUIET!" Souna-kaichou shouted from the student council room, causing the three of them to be quiet.

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO CRY, DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE AND NOT WHILE I'M HERE!" she shouted, before slamming the door shut.

Nobody said a word, as they continued to sob and hug each other.

Many people who saw them marveled at the sight. They always saw the perverted trio acting like complete man-children, but they have never seen them as intimate as this.

Ever since that day, word got out that the perverted trio was gay or that they were having a threesome because they were unable to get any girls.

Little did they know that that would be last time they saw them at school as students…

9:05 am - Kuoh police station

The police came a few minutes after their wailing and took them away in the sight of numerous onlookers, all of them looking in shock, but also in relief. They finally got what they deserved, some of them thought.

They were put into a police car and driven to the police station where the perverted trio were now being detained.

They just sat there, expecting the worst. Issei himself didn't show much emotion, but deep himself he was troubled and just wanted to go home.

'Forget about going home' Issei thought. 'I could be glad if I got a bed to sleep in – even if it might be in a jail cell.'

 **[Partner]** Ddraig's voice sounded in his mind. **[We need to talk.]**

'*Sigh* Ddraig, if it's about what happened today, just… I don't want to talk about it…' Issei said.

 **[No, we need to talk now!]** Ddraig said sternly. **[I know, what those girls said about you and your parents… I can understand if you get angry about it. But, what you shouldn't be doing is losing your temper like that!]**

'Just leave me alone…' Issei said. He wasn't in a mood to listen to Ddraig scolding him.

 **[I'm not done yet! What I'm telling you is vital to becoming stronger. There will be many enemies that will make you angry or drive you over the edge. Sometimes, they do this on purpose in order to make you have tunnel vision while fighting them, thus losing your ability to think straight and keep track of your surroundings.]**

'Why are you telling me this?' Issei asked annoyed.

 **[To train you, Partner!]** Ddraig answered equally annoyed. **[Didn't you say that you wanted training? Didn't you say you wanted to become strong for your parents' sake?]**

At that Issei couldn't find an answer. He suddenly remembered what he had said at his parents' tombstones.

" _I won't die so easily! I'll make sure to live on – for your sakes! I've got friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors and all of Kuoh, too! I'll protect them so that nobody will have to go through the pain of losing their loved ones, like I did! I'll get stronger… smarter… working hard to achieve my goals, in order to achieve it!"_

" _I'll become stronger. I will definitely become stronger. I'll make sure that I'll continue to train with Ddraig, even if it kills me."_

"Mum… Dad…" Issei said quietly.

How could he have been stupid? He wanted to become stronger in order to protect Kuoh, not so that he could become a thug like his killer!

But now, Issei thought in shame… he had committed a serious crime. He just beat up two of his classmates, almost killing them.

How could he have forgotten what he had promised them? Part of what he said, he said a few hours ago… And he threw it all away… at the heat of the moment.

And now, he was at the police station, awaiting interrogation for what he did.

Issei felt ashamed for what he did. He wanted to tell those two girls… and their parents that he was sorry.

'But now, I guess it's too late for apologies' Issei thought sadly. 'All that I can do know, is to take it head-on'.

 **[Partner, are you there?]** Ddraig asked. Issei just nodded.

'Ddraig, you were right. I shouldn't have lost my temper back there and I'm sorry for brushing you off just now' Issei replied, the irritation in his voice now gone.

 **[Apology accepted]** Ddraig answered.

'But seriously, Ddraig. There is no way we can continue training while we are in detention like before. So how am I going to get stronger?' Issei asked.

 **[There are many ways to train, Partner]** Ddraig answered. **[If you are locked in a cell, instead of running, you can do calisthenics, like push-ups, sit-ups and so on. In fact, once we get there I think we're gonna have you do 20 push-ups and 30 sit-ups and ten pull-ups.]**

Issei dropped a sweat at that.

'He sure planned everything ahead of time, didn't he?' Issei thought to himself.

While Issei was thinking to himself, Ddraig spoke to him once more.

 **[Partner, I should mention something I noticed at school]** Ddraig said. Issei perked up at that.

'What is it?' Issei asked.

 **[It's about what I told you about supernatural beings]** Ddraig explained.

Issei's eyes widened in shock as he heard those words. 'What about them? Are they at school?'

Ddraig nodded. **[Yes, in fact I sensed a number of devil auras at school. You were lucky, Partner. They didn't notice my aura – or at least they didn't take any action.]**

'Devil auras? You mean, this whole time there were devils at school?' Issei asked Ddraig.

He couldn't believe it. They had infiltrated Kuoh Academy, already?

How long have they been here?

How did they accomplish it?

But before Issei could ask any of these questions, Ddraig continued with his findings.

 **[That's not all, Partner. When you were talking to the student council president, the smell of devil's auras was particularly strong.]**

'So, what are you trying to say?' Issei asked.

 **[I'm saying that the student council might be infiltrated by devils]** Ddraig answered.

Issei's mind clicked at that. Devils in the student council? But that would mean that they were in a position of power?

'This doesn't sound good' Issei thought. 'Who knows what they could do?'

 **[And the last part I should mention…]** Ddraig listed his final finding. **[…Is that much of the aura I was smelling…]**

Issei waited in anticipation of Ddraig's final finding.

 **[…came from the student council president Souna Shitori herself!]** Ddraig declared.

Issei's mind was blown away at that moment.

Souna Shitori…

… was a devil!?

All this time when he got summoned, scolded and punished by her, he was dealing with a devil!?

He always thought that her cold, calculating and strict character was otherworldly, but this?

That would certainly explain a lot…

What about the rest of the student council like Tsubaki-senpai? Were they devils, too?

Before Issei could think about it, three policemen came up to him and his two friends.

"Come with us" one of them said. They complied, standing up and following the policemen.

They walked down a hallway until they reached an area with some cells. These cells had transparent glass window, with a table and two chairs inside.

"Each of you will go into one of these cells where you will await your respective investigators."

The policemen opened the doors and first led Motohama into the first. The perverted trio glanced at each other nervously before Motohama was ushered inside.

Then Matsuda was next. He too was moved into a cell, albeit a different one to where Motohama was.

And then Issei was led into another cell where he was made to sit down and wait for his investigator.

 _10:15 am – Kuoh police prison cells_

The investigators basically asked the three of them the same questions as the school did. Naturally they answered with the same answers.

They also asked them about their past perverted activities and pornographic activities which they all admitted. Yet, all three quickly denied that their perverted tendencies were the cause of the brawl.

As for Issei, who had lost his parents, the police told him that the courts might show some leniency because of his situation and that a legal guardian will be provided to him once he gets released.

Other than that, they were reprimanded for their actions and were told that, until the trial took place, they were going to be held in police custody.

Thankfully, Japanese law gave the perverted trio the right to an attorney. But until the attorney came or until they were bailed out, they were required to remain detained in one of the police cells.

And so Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were taken to another section of the police building where they housed the inmates.

The three of them looked around nervously. It was grey and bleak, just what you would expect from a prison. There also were a lot of jail cells, too!

In some of these cells, they could even see the faces of inmates of all kinds, just looking at them through the door slit of their doors.

The perverted trio still couldn't believe it. They were being taken to jail!

They hoped it was some kind of nightmare, but unfortunately everything that was happening was real.

Eventually, the perverted trio were brought to a certain cell.

"All right boys, this is where you'll be staying until the trial" the police man said.

The man opened the door and ushered the three of them in.

They looked around in their cell.

The cell was surprisingly clean. It had white walls, a window with bars with a rather nice view of the area (it was on the second floor, by the way!) and a bunker-bed for two people.

However, the cell did seem kind of small with a size of 3x5 meters and… wait was that bunker-bed made for only two people?

"Now," the police man explained. "There are several rules you need to know while you are in here. First, during your stay here, please be mindful that we have other prisoners here in the cells next to you and beneath you. You will have to make sure that anything you do, won't disturb the others."

The perverted trio just looked at each other, before nodding in response.

"Secondly, on the door to the left…" the man said, before opening said door. "…Is the door to the bathroom for your personal use. We don't want you to be unhygienic during your stay here."

The three of them peeked inside the bathroom. Inside the bathroom was a toilet seat and a shower.

'Ok, this doesn't seem so bad… I think' Issei thought to himself.

"And last of all…" the man held out his opened hand. "…You must hand over all your wallets and smartphones".

The perverted trio stood in shock as they heard what the police man said.

"W-w-why…?" Matsuda stuttered. No smartphones? How on earth could he live without his smartphone?

"Prison regulations, young man. Prison regulations. Phone calls to the outside can only be made via a special prison phone" The officer explained.

The three of them looked at each other unsure. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to give up their prized possessions. But the man was unwavering.

"Come on, now. Don't be shy." The man said gently, but the firmness of his statement was undeniable.

And so, they reluctantly fumbled in their pockets and took out their wallets and smartphones and gave it to the police officer. After collecting them all, he put them in the pouch that he carried on the side of his waist.

"Well, that wasn't so hard after all. Now those were the rules you needed to know for your stay here. Are there any more questions before we go?" the officer asked.

Issei raised his hand.

"Yes" the man gestured to Issei.

"Umm, when are we going to get them back?" Issei asked.

"When you are released from custody at earliest, but in case you are sentenced to prison, I cannot guarantee that you will get them back after you've served your time. In this case, you have to come by the police station again to ask more."

The three of them shuddered. "Served your time" … such cruel words…

Motohama raised his hand next.

"You mentioned something about prison calls, how can we ask for that?"

"You knock on your cell door here…" the officer demonstrated by doing so. "…And the guard standing closest to the cell will come and help you with your requests."

Finally, Matsuda raised his hand.

"Wait, I see only a bunk-bed for two, yet there are three of us, so… ummm… don't you think there should be another bed for us?"

"I understand your concerns" the man answered. "Yet, unfortunately, we've had a lot of prisoners coming in lately, which is why we are running low on beds and cells for the moment. We did consider putting one of you in a different cell, but we don't want to be using too many cells – especially considering that at this rate the cells will all be taken".

The three of them paled.

"Wait, you mean to say we're going to be stuck here, trying to sleep in a bed meant for two people!?" Issei asked incredulously. The officer only nodded at that.

"Unfortunately, yes. Besides, a trio of friends like you should be able to make arrangements among each other, right? It's still better than two of you sleeping together in one cell, while the other is in another cell with a complete stranger who is in for murder for example."

The perverted trio saw the logic of the officer's argument and said nothing.

The officer made his way out of the cell, but turned back one last time.

"Lunch will be brought in through the lower slit of your cell door. You will be informed of the date of your court trial by me or my colleagues, until then, I wish you well" the police man said, before leaving the cell.

The door went shut and the sound of keys and the lock closing were heard, before the man walked away.

The perverted trio was finally alone.

They didn't say anything, not knowing what to say. Instead, they just stood there shocked at everything that had transpired.

Until about half a minute, Motohama got up and sat down on the lower bed. One could see that he was completely stressed out and tired. No wonder! Just a few hours ago, they were just going to school like normal (except for the dogs) only to end up getting into an ugly brawl.

And now… they were in jail! This was going to take some time for them to accept the reality of the situation.

But what were they to do in the mean-time?

"Guys?" Matsuda said. The other two looked at him with interest.

"I'm taking the lower bunk, you two share the upper one together" Matsuda stated.

The two of them looked at him with irritation.

"Oh, hell no! I'm not sharing a bed with Issei!" Motohama protested.

"Yeah," Issei joined in. "There's no way I'm gonna just share a bed with Motohama! You share it with him!"

"Issei, I'm not gay!" Motohama fired back. "There is no way I'm ever going to sleep with Matsuda"

"Yeah, I agree!" Matsuda added. "I want to have sex with a cute girl, not with Motohama!"

"Besides," Motohama continued. "What if I get a sexy dream and have to fap? What am I going to do about that, huh?" the other two dropped a sweat at that.

"Well… just go to the bathroom, I guess…" Issei said.

He felt awkward talking with fapping issues, even with Matsuda and Motohama.

"Good point" Matsuda stated. "But back to the issue, the police man said that we were supposed to make arrangements among ourselves, right?"

The Motohama and Issei nodded. Of course, that's what the police man said. But if they didn't know what kind of arrangements the were supposed to make…

Suddenly, Issei had an idea.

"Guys, I got it!" he exclaimed. The other two looked at him confused.

"What? What have you got?" Motohama asked.

"The answer on how to share the beds!" Issei answered.

His two buddies looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"You know how to deal with it? How?" Matsuda enquired.

"Easy!" Issei grinned. "We'll play paper, rock, scissors. We'll play a total of three rounds, one-on-one, then we switch opponents and the one with the most wins gets to sleep by himself. How does that sound?" Issei asked.

"Sounds good to me" Matsuda replied.

"Let's do this!" Motohama affirmed.

The three of them looked at each other, smiling in a cocky fashion. There was no way they were going to lose this.

"All right, let's begin!" Issei said with a devious smirk on his face.

And so, the battle for the bunks began. Little did they know that this was but a foretaste of the trials lying ahead of them.

 _10:35 am in Kuoh Central Hospital, in one of the hospital rooms_

On the white clean and soft bed, lay a girl about Issei's age wearing white pajamas that hospital staff had put on her.

She had long black hair that lay as motionless on the bed as the girl herself, except for breathing. The reason for why she was lying motionless was because she was unconscious.

Not only that, but part of her hair had been covered by the bandages around her head and the bandages themselves were stained by blood.

Right next to her stood two monitors that showed waves of her heart pulse and the other showed her brain activity. Moreover, her mouth and nose were connected to a breathing tube that provided her with oxygen.

As she lay there, the door slowly opened, revealing a nurse and a man in his middle twenties.

He had black hair just like the girl, except that his were short in contrast to that of the girl's. He wore a brown coat, black pants and shoes. He had a neutral facial expression when he saw the girl. But most people would know better than to say he felt nothing upon seeing her.

The man looked at the nurse.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Well, her medical situation is stable, but her head may have sustained Traumatic Brain Injury. We put her in medical comatose to make sure her situation doesn't deteriorate, but… we don't know when she will wake up or even **if** she will wake up" the nurse explained.

The man seemingly took those damning words with no emotion whatsoever.

He just looked at the girl and sat down next to her.

"Could you please leave me and her alone for a while?" the man requested.

The nurse nodded. "All right, but call me if you need anything." She said before she went out the door and closed it.

The man just breathed in deeply. He just sat there, not doing anything really.

After five minutes he finally spoke up.

"How long has it been, little sister?" the man asked. But there was no answer because the girl was in a coma.

"Hasn't it been six months since we last spoke face to face? Even after that amount of time, you've grown… prettier. I bet boys must be looking at you now" he continued.

The man sighed while looking at his little sister.

"You always said that you wanted to become a police officer just like I am, fighting for the welfare of this city. You said that you would never give up on your dreams to do just that…" the man trailed off, before sighing again.

Speaking to his sister like this was going to be harder than he thought.

"…But now… I'm not even sure if you're ever… going to wake up again…" the man went on, this time his emotions starting to come out. They were emotions of grief and sorrow welling up from within him, threatening to burst out, as he looked down in sadness.

"All of your dreams…going into a coma… just like you are right now. And why? All because some stupid jerk… felt like doing it…" he started to tear up, his tears starting to run down his cheeks. His teeth were clenched together out of agony.

"But he won't get away…" the man continued, looking up, his eyes showing his anger. "I spoke to your school principal and your classmates… they told me what happened… and who did this to you… and I swear to you that he **won't** get away!"

The man stood up as he looked at his sister one last time.

"Rest assured, Mikasa. I won't rest until I've brought him to justice. There is no way the courts will give him what he deserves. What he deserves is death! And I will make sure that he will **die**!" the man spoke out in rage.

He left Mikasa as he stormed out the door past a surprised nurse who was waiting for him outside.

"Yes, I will make sure that he dies!" the man fumed. "I'll find you… and kill you! Just you wait…" he swore, as he went out the building.

"…Issei Hyoudou!"

 _11:25 am – Kuoh police prison cells_

Issei Hyoudou felt a shiver down his spine. He didn't know what it was, but whatever it was it made him uncomfortable.

Well, at least he didn't have to share a bed with either one of his prison buddies.

It turns out that Issei managed to win two times, while Matsuda only won once and Motohama lost both times.

They both didn't accept it, so they agreed to play for another three rounds and Issei won his matches as well.

After much wrangling and hesitation of Matsuda and Motohama, they agreed to share a bed with each other – but only on the condition that if they stayed here longer than two nights, the next one would have his chance to sleep by himself.

The two of them tried out lying on the same bed, but narrowly managed to do so.

They feared that either one of them could fall out of bed during the night, so they took the upper bunk which at least had a railing.

Issei himself had other thoughts right now.

He felt ashamed of his actions this morning. If he had not lost his temper this morning, they wouldn't be in this mess. He felt the need to apologize.

"Guys?" Issei called. His two buddies looked down at him from the top bunk.

"Yeah, what's up?" Matsuda asked.

"I… I need to apologize… for getting into that fight this morning and dragging you in… if I hadn't done it… we wouldn't be here…"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other, before turning back to Issei.

"Dude… even if that was true, we don't hold it against you." Matsuda replied, causing Issei to look at them in surprise.

"Yeah!" Motohama exclaimed. "Anyone would have beat the living daylights out of those girls, if someone insulted their dead parents. Besides, we jumped right into the fray, knowing we would get into trouble, right? So, it's fine. At least we're all together – safe and sound."

"G-guys…" Issei said with tears in his eyes. "Thank you…"

"No problem, man" Matsuda smiled. "Though, I wish **I** was the one to have grabbed Mina's oppai before we went to jail."

"You know…?" Motohama said. "Even though I was able to grab her boobs, it just wasn't the same. Grabbing them to hurt someone, in anger no less… it just wasn't worth it…"

"Wow… I knew it! I knew it would suck!" Matsuda replied and so a long discussion on touching boobs started between the two of them that lasted well into the evening.

Issei was happy as he looked out the window, reminiscing what his father had told him before he died.

"… _I still think you should at least try to see the good things in everything – and everyone. Who knows, maybe you will never get the chance to see them again."_

Those words echoed in his mind, as Ddraig spoke up.

 **[Well, Partner, should we begin our training?]**

'Yeah, I think I'm ready!' Issei responded.

 **[Ready for some push-up exercises?]** Ddraig asked. Issei nodded in affirmative as he got down from his bed and started.

'Oh well, as Motohama said: At least we're all together – safe and sound! It's not like the supernatural beings are gonna come busting in here trying to kill me!' Issei thought.

Little did he know that he was only partially right.

As Issei was exercising, a new police officer came in, reported for duty and walked into the police station to perform his duties.

Nobody knew that that police officer came with only one agenda:

To kill Issei Hyoudou!

 **And that was the fourth chapter of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Now you might be asking: "Throwing the perverted trio into prison? Why would you do that? And aren't they minors?"**

 **Well, I thought of a lot of ways how to continue this story.**

 **Logically, for badly beating up two girls (or in Matsuda's and Motohama's case twisting a girl's boobs) deserves some serious punishment. There was no way the perverted trio would get Scott-free from this.**

 **I thought of a month of suspension, but that would be too kind a punishment.**

 **Then I thought of expelling them, but given what Issei has done, there was no way the police would not get involved in this.**

 **At first, I thought of giving them community service and have them avoid prison. But either way, you need a court ruling for it.**

 **So, correct me if I'm wrong, but before one can get summoned to court one is either detained in police custody or bailed-out, which none of them have so far.**

 **One should note that in Japan, the law is tougher on minors and that once you're fifteen, you won't be tried in a juvenile court anymore, so a normal court procedure for any given Japanese adult is more likely.**

 **To top it all off, I've read that tougher punishments on young criminals is in high demand in Japan, hence the school's resort to police involvement (though I presume any country would call the police in this kind of situation).**

 **But where could this be going, you may ask?**

 **Well, I thought of having Issei and his friends go through some challenges along the way – together. I thought of a lot of ways of having them find out Issei's secret and I picked this one.**

 **I even brought in some original characters along the way, as you've noticed:**

 **The vengeful police-man (whose name I'll create and reveal later)**

 **His sister Mikasa (the black-haired girl whom Issei beat up in the last chapter)**

 **Karen (the blond-haired girl whom Issei beat up as well)**

 **And Mina (the red-haired girl that got her boobs twisted)**

 **I also decided to give Matsuda and Motohama surnames (which they don't appear to have in the canon universe) namely:**

 **Matsuda Hibiki**

 **Motohama Todoriki**

 **As for the next chapter:**

 **Well… let's just say that from then on, they're going to have to fight for their lives and possibly find out Issei's secret.**

 **Until next time!**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	5. Chapter 5 - The trio trains together

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there! It's me, Hide Shinyama!**

 **And here we are with Chapter 5.**

 **Now, the last time Issei, Matsuda and Motohama ended up in jail and are now awaiting trial.**

 **Now, there are a lot of things I thought on how to continue this fanfic and – thanks to you commenters – I actually have some idea on what to add in this story.**

 **So, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it.**

 **Perhaps I'll consider on implementing some of your ideas. They seem quite interesting.**

 **Anyway, on with…**

Chapter 5 – The perverted trio train together

7th September, Friday, about 5:10 am – Kuoh Police Prison Cell

It was another day in prison, as Issei woke up like yesterday at 5 o'clock. Why did he wake up this early, you ask? Well, it was in order to train, of course.

Issei was determined to get stronger, more durable and better at hand-to-hand combat. For that, he had to follow Ddraig's training regimen that involved 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 10 pull-ups (from the bed-railing) and 20 frog-jumps every morning.

Naturally, it would wake his Matsuda and Motohama who weren't so pleased to be stirred up by Issei's training exercises.

"Ugh… dude…" Motohama groaned, clearly irritated as Issei was doing his finishing his 30 push-ups.

"Can't you just wait until an hour or two or so? We're trying to sleep here" he complained, looking at Issei with tired eyes from the upper bunk.

"Mmpffmmmmmfffppfffmmmuuu…" a muffling sound came up, confusing Motohama and Issei.

It was only when Motohama felt something… or rather someone lying right underneath his pillow he was lying on, did he realize where it came from.

"S-sorry, man!" Motohama said, before getting off of Matsuda who gasped for air.

"What the hell, man? Why did you have to sleep right on top of me?" Matsuda asked angrily, while sitting up.

"Hey, at least I wasn't… wrapping someone behind… while rubbing my body against someone else's… unlike a certain someone here!" Motohama replied stuttering, then bellowing.

Matsuda started to turn red and look away from embarrassment.

"Uhh, w-w-what are you talking about?" Matsuda asked embarrassed.

"You were doing that to me in your sleep again! And you were calling me Chibiusa for some rea… Wait…Were you thinking about Hentai Moon?" Motohama questioned.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'again'?" Issei asked this time.

"He was humping me the previous night, too! Except the last time it was about some girl named Mami Tomoe… or something like that!"

Issei dropped a sweat at that. Sleeping together in a bed certainly wasn't going to be fun with those two. He just hoped that he wouldn't get Matsuda as a bed-mate!

"Anyway, this sucks! I wanna get out of here! I wanna go home! Why can't they just let us go?" Motohama whined.

"Because we still need to go to court, remember?" Issei replied.

Sadly, that was going to be a reality, they were going to have to face. A cold impartial judge, a hostile prosecution and angry parents of the accusers going against them… this was not something Issei was looking forward to. While they were glad that they had met the attorney representing them, they were told that the court day was next Saturday – in other words tomorrow!

Issei sighed, he could understand his friends' frustration about their current situation, but right now sitting in the prison cell, they were in right now was still better than in court. That was doubly true for Issei, who would always try to make the best out of every situation, he was in.

And right now, he wanted to use this time in jail to train.

"But while we're waiting, it's about time we rotated! We've been here for more than two nights, so now it's Issei's turn to sleep with one of us!" Matsuda proclaimed, causing Issei to blush furiously.

"Dude! That sounds so wrong!" Issei retorted. Sleeping with one of them? No way was going to have sex with one of them, though Issei understood what Matsuda was trying to say.

Upon realizing what Issei implied, Matsuda blushed.

"Anyway" Motohama spoke up. "We need to decide who will sleep on the lower bunk bed tonight. So how about, we decide with another game of rock, paper scissors between you and me, Matsuda?"

"All right…" Matsuda said, preparing himself. "But I know one thing: You're going down!"

"We'll see about that!" Motohama replied, as he too started to prepare himself.

Issei, on the other hand, was just standing there, just hoping that whoever would lose wouldn't end up… doing stuff to him in his sleep.

* * *

 _A few minutes after the match…_

"I demand a rematch!" Motohama exclaimed.

"No way! I won fair and square!" Matsuda insisted.

It turned out that Matsuda had won the match, but Motohama (being a sore loser and all) refused to accept the results of the match. And this is why they were arguing right now.

"You just don't want to accept the fact that you lost, man" Matsuda sneered.

"Oh, yeah? At least I didn't delay showing my hand – unlike you!" Motohama countered.

"I never delayed my hand!" Matsuda protested.

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Did, too!"

"Did not!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, let's let Issei decide!" Motohama exclaimed.

"Good idea" Matsuda agreed.

As they turned their head towards Issei, they saw that he was back to training again (doing a number of sit-ups to be more specifically).

"Issei…?" Motohama asked with a dead-panned look on his face.

"Yeah?" Issei asked, not interrupting the exercise while doing so.

"Did you even pay attention to our match?" Motohama asked again.

"Uhuh…" Issei replied, still focused on his training.

"Then, why are you exercising again?" Matsuda asked this time, with a similar dead-pan.

"Because… *huff* I thought your argument was going to take a while… *huff* So, I thought I might as well be productive with my time and train *huff*" Issei replied, before getting up and stretching himself with his arms up.

"So… Who do you think won the match?" Motohama asked.

Issei didn't reply for a while, as he finished his stretches. Once he was done, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know" he replied nonchalantly.

At that his two buddies comically fell down to the ground head-first in frustration (like in mangas and in animes).

Issei, on the other hand, just continued with his training, this time by doing some frog-jumps.

His two friends found it strange. Issei was never this much into exercise, so what could possibly motivate him to be like that? He's been doing that since the day, they got here. Push-ups, sit-ups, frog-jumps, even some shadow-boxing… Why was he even doing this?

That wasn't the only thing they noticed.

What also came to their attention was the fact that Issei would do this with a serious, determined look on his face – almost as if he wasn't the perverted fun-loving friend that they knew, but a warrior in training, as if he was preparing for war.

Another thing that they noticed (and that tied to their previous point) is that Issei seemed to mumble every once to himself. They noticed him saying things like "Please, no more…" or "I understand!" or "Ddraig".

That was especially true, in the bathroom. They would hear Issei say "Boost" or something like that and hear him straining, fighting against some kind of pressure, only for him to come out completely exhausted.

They found it… really strange. Sure, they may all be weird one way or the other, but this was a whole different kind of weird – one Matsuda and Motohama had never seen before.

They thought, it may have something to do with his parents' death. But, normally, the reaction would be depression or becoming more prone to isolation or having outbursts, not training!

It seemed like, he was trying to get stronger for some kind of reason. But why?

Trying to satisfy their curiosity, they decided to ask Issei.

"Dude, why are you even exercising in the first place?" Matsuda asked.

"Why not?" Issei asked rhetorically, still doing his frog-jumps.

"It's like… not even 6 am. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Motohama asked.

Issei stopped for a moment. He looked at his friends and decided to answer their question.

"Well, the earlier I get up, the more time I have to exercise. Plus, getting up early is an exercise in itself. It helps you to discipline your mind and body, by doing things, you normally wouldn't do" Issei answered.

"Yeah, but your exercises have been disturbing our well-deserved rest for quite some time now. Can't you just get up later?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, not only do they interrupt our sleep, but the room smells so sweaty as a result, too" Matsuda added.

Issei didn't know what to say. He really, didn't want to forego his training, but he really didn't want to tell them the truth either. Issei just didn't want to drag Matsuda and Motohama into a possibly apocalyptic war with the supernatural.

But seeing that he needed to convince them of his motivation for training, he decided to tell them the truth… ok not the whole truth, but still enough to satisfy your curiosity.

"All right… I guess I need to tell you the truth."

"The truth?" Matsuda inquired curiously.

"Yeah. The truth as to why I'm training so hard" Issei replied.

Both of his friends looked at him with surprise. They clearly weren't expecting what seems to be a serious straightforward man-to-man talk about this from Issei. But they were intrigued, nonetheless.

"You mean to say that there is a reason as to why you are doing all this?" Motohama questioned.

Issei nodded.

"Yeah, there is. So, make yourselves comfortable. This is gonna take a while."

"No problems there!" Motohama said with a grin, as he patted the bed he and his buddy Matsuda were on.

"Does this have to do with your parents' death?" Matsuda asked.

"Well, it actually does. But that's not all of it" Issei answered.

"Well… what other reason do you have for doing this?" Motohama asked this time.

"Well… it has to do with the fact that there are people like my parents' murderer to begin with" Issei explained.

The two of them nodded. It was a well-known, but sad fact that there were robbers, thieves, crooks and murderers of all kinds out there.

People that are probably in prisons in the masses like this one, they thought and shuddered at the mere thought of it.

"Yeah, but what does this have to do with you training?" Matsuda asked again until he got a suspicion of what might be the reason.

"Wait, don't tell me you're going out to become a crime fighter or something, are you?" Matsuda questioned Issei.

"Well… yes…" Issei said, shocking his two buddies. "To be honest, I wanted to use it primarily to defend myself and those I care about – like you guys – in case something bad should happen."

"Dude, are you crazy!?" Motohama asked shocked.

"Yeah! What were you thinking? I mean, sure, your parents were killed and there are… all kinds of criminals out there, but… that's not something you can just deal with on your own!" Matsuda said.

"I know that! But I have to start from somewhere!" Issei protested.

He knew it was going to be dangerous, that was clear. Issei didn't even know, if he would even last two minutes against a supernatural opponent.

"Besides, it's not like I necessarily have to fight. I can even do other things to solve the problem, like becoming a police man or even a politician!" Issei said. He frowned inwardly as he said that.

'Me and being a politician? Wow, I can't believe I just said that!' Issei thought, the idea appearing to be completely ridiculous in his mind.

"But, by your logic, that still doesn't mean that you should just wake up at 4 to 5 am and train, while robbing us of our sleep" Matsuda replied with his arms folded at his chest.

"I know… but still! If I can't do any of these things, I can at least protect myself and those near me if they are threatened" Issei responded.

Motohama and Matsuda looked at each other with questioning looks, before turning back.

"Ok… you may have a point… But something doesn't make sense…" Motohama thought out loud.

"What doesn't make sense?" Issei inquired.

"Well, the fact that you mumble to yourself every once in a while…" Motohama said.

'They heard me mumble to himself? I have to remember to keep it down the next time.' Issei thought to himself.

"Yeah! You would constantly say something, like "Ddraig" and "Boost" or something like that. It was really weird…"

Issei widened his eyes. Oh crap! He really needed to learn to shut his mouth. At this rate, they'll know!

His two friends immediately noticed his widened eyes.

"Issei, what's the matter?" Matsuda asked concerned.

"N-n-nothing!" Issei stammered. "I'm just embarrassed that you guys noticed something this embarrassing about me. Ahahaha…" Issei tried to laugh it off.

Matsuda and Motohama wrinkled their eye-brows with confusion and suspicion.

Something was definitely off.

He tried to laugh off what they had seen – just like a lot of fictional characters would when they were hiding something.

But what could it be?

His whole motivation for becoming a crime-fighter didn't make sense. They could understand that losing one's parents may be a legitimate reason for becoming a vigilante, but just what made Issei so sure that he could even make it in the first place?

Looking at it logically, there was no way a normal, out-of-shape guy like Issei Hyoudou could actually become a vigilante. But on the other hand, Issei looked so… serious. He did all those exercises persistently, as if he was determined to become one – despite all odds.

At times, Issei even looked happy, laughing even, after collapsing on the threshold of the bathroom doing… who knows what kind of exercise in there!

It almost seemed like… he was actually achieving his goals and that he there was a sense of surety to becoming a hero.

But how?

Thinking about it, both of them realized in one way or the other that the answer must lie with Issei's mumbling.

That was the most suspicious part of it all.

They have known their friend since middle school and he has never talked to himself in his life. That was true up until they ended up in prison.

The words that Issei said: "Please, no more…", "I understand!", "Ddraig" and "Boost!" …those didn't seem like words you would say to yourself.

It was if Issei was not talking to himself and more like… he was talking to someone else…

Nonsense! How could that be? It's not like there were supernatural beings out there, right?

But still…

Matsuda and Motohama just didn't know what to make of this…

"Ummm… guys?" Issei spoke up, interrupting their thoughts.

"Yeah… what is it?" Motohama asked.

"Didn't you guys want to deal with the bed issue for tonight?" Issei asked.

Both Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes in surprise.

"Oh yeah! That's right!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Indeed! Totally right!" Motohama smirked, looking sideways at Matsuda.

"I'll be the referee!" Issei announced, while raising his arm like a referee would before starting a game.

"You're going up with Issei!" Motohama declared.

"No, you're going dow- umm, I mean up with Issei!" Matsuda corrected himself.

"Let's bring it on!" Issei announced, bringing his arm down.

And so, the second paper-rock-scissors game began…

* * *

 _In the meantime, somewhere else in the prison_

In the administration department of the Kuoh police prison, a police man was secretly looking through the records of the inmates in the cells. He had been looking for an opportunity to search the records since he got here and had now found his chance.

After checking the prison's database on the laptop computer, the police officer finally found what he was looking for.

He opened a file to check out its content and, sure enough, it told him everything that he needed to know.

Name, age, reason for detention, trial date, physical attributes and so on... But what stood out to him was the cell the subject was in.

He smiled in a devious manner. Finally! He had gotten what he wanted. Now, he just had to figure out how to do it.

As he was thinking of a plan, a senior police officer came into the office.

"Hey, new guy! Police chief Okubo just called for you. Apparently, there's still more paper work for you to do" the senior police officer said.

The new police recruit nearly jumped out of shock at his call, but managed to compose himself, before replying: "Yes, sir. Right away."

He walked off, heading straight to the police chief's office.

The senior police officer just shook his head, until he stopped when he noticed that the computer was on. Apparently, the new recruit was checking something in the police records.

He looked and was surprised to see that a specific file had been opened.

It was Issei's file.

The police officer wondered why his new colleague was looking at this particular felon's file.

But in the end, he decided not to think too much about it. He closed down the file, locked the computer account and went away.

The senior police officer didn't know that the new police man harbored… less than well intentions towards Issei.

* * *

 _Kuoh Police Prison Cell – 8:00 am_

"Knock, knock, knock!" the cell door went as the prison guard knocked on the door.

The perverted trio stopped their activities and looked to the door.

"Here's your breakfast. Enjoy your meal" the prison guard said.

The perverted trio immediately went for the door to receive their food.

Through the slit came the breakfast tray. On it were six slices of toast bread, samples of jam and peanut butter in two small bowls and some packs of milk.

Overall, the food wasn't bad, but Motohama did have a complaint.

"Umm, excuse me, Mr. Warden, but can it be that this is all we're getting for breakfast?" Motohama asked.

"I'm sorry" the man replied. "But this is all you're getting for breakfast. Besides, it's not up for me to decide what you get, so make the most out of it".

After that, the police man left to distribute meals to the next cells.

Upon hearing this Motohama slumped down in disappointment.

"What's wrong, Motohama?" Issei asked. "The food as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I expected far worse, so why ask for something else?"

"It's not… the quality of the food I'm complaining about…" Motohama said despondently. "…It's the quantity…"

"Quantity?" Matsuda asked.

"Yes! We only get two pieces of toast each morning with jam and peanut butter and some milk! A man can't possibly live on that alone!" Motohama responded.

"Ok… I'll admit that they could have given us more to eat… I mean, I exercise a lot…" Issei said, but then his tummy grumbled, causing him to hold his stomach out of embarrassed.

"See what I mean!" Motohama pointed out.

"Yeah… you may have a point…" Matsuda conceded, as he took the food tray and put it on the table, near the window.

"At least we still have lunch and dinner!" Issei said, trying to look things at the bright side.

"Lunch and dinner?" Motohama scoffed. "They don't give us that much either! And besides, the food we get for lunch and dinner sucks in comparison to breakfast!"

"Really, I thought the salmon we got for dinner yesterday wasn't so bad…" Issei commented.

"Dude, the fish sucked especially!" Motohama retorted. "That's not to mention the third-rate spinach, we had for lunch and the eggplant we had on our first day!"

"Oh, tell me about it! That stuff tasted terrible!" Matsuda said in disgust.

"Sadly, that's not the worst part… the worst part is sleeping with **Issei** for the night before our trial…ugh" Motohama shuddered, remembering the humiliation of losing to Matsuda.

"Oh well… at least that's good for me…" Matsuda smiled cockily.

"Easy for you to say!" Issei retorted. "Now, I've got to sleep with a guy who might hump me in my sleep while dreaming of some anime chick!"

"W-w-what are you guys talking about… No, I don't…" Motohama countered shyly.

"DON'T TRY TO DENY IT!" the two of them shouted at Motohama, who winced back.

This clearly wasn't going to be easy for the perverted trio. Being in prison in a confined cell for at least two days was taking their toll on them.

"Speaking of trial, when's our lawyer coming again?" Matsuda asked.

"I… think it was at 2 pm, right after lunch…" Issei said.

"Right after lunch, eh?" Motohama said, after recovering from the two shouting at him. "What are we going to talk with him about?"

"I think it was about what to be know about how the trial will run and maybe what our chances of being pardoned are, or something like that" Issei responded.

"We're probably going to prepare our case with the lawyer, you know, planning a strategy" Matsuda added.

"Yeah, but I'm still worried, guys" Motohama said. "What if we don't get pardoned. I mean, we could be thrown in jail for… ten years maybe. What are we going to do if something like that happens?"

Issei and Matsuda looked at each other.

Unfortunately, that was a possibility.

After all, they committed a serious crime by beating the crap out of three girls and sending them to the hospital. Heck, they wouldn't be surprised, if the media was going to portray them as enemies of all women and all that. They probably calling for the harshest punishment possible for them – not that they were unfamiliar with demands like that.

"I…" Motohama was tearing up. "I'm scared, guys. What if we don't get to see each other if that's the case? Think about it… ten years in prison with little means to contact with the outside world, except for visits from our parents… eating rotten food like that all day…" he said tearfully pointing at the untouched breakfast tray on the table.

"…And that's not all…" Motohama continued, his tears trailing down his cheeks "…wasting our lives away, when we are at the prime of our youth… when we should be having girlfriends and having fun… instead we are here… rotting away…"

Issei and Matsuda were surprised to say the least, they never expected Motohama to get this emotional.

"…I don't want this, guys…" Motohama said quietly. "…I don't want to live my life in isolation… I… want to live…".

Issei and Matsuda smiled at their friend and put a hand on each of his shoulders.

"We both feel the same way, man…" Matsuda said. "We both have so much to live for…"

"Yeah, besides… we've got a lawyer who is willing to help us. A lawyer is there to represent us, speak for us. I'm sure he's had to do it with far worse people than us, so what's there to worry about?" Issei added.

At that, Motohama just hugged the two of them. Issei and Matsuda were taken aback, but decided to return the gesture.

And so, they stood there, just hugging each other, not caring about what people thought about a trio of guys hugging each other – after all who was going to watch them anyway?

They just hugged, like there was no tomorrow… no… like there was a tomorrow… one where they will be free to leave these four walls… free like a bird in the sky…

Unfortunately, there was somebody waiting just outside the cells. Somebody, who only thought in rage, as they fantasized about getting out scot-free.

They didn't even deserve to be free, they deserved to **die**!

But unfortunately, the hate-filled police man realized that the perverted trio was telling the truth.

That lawyer would definitely increase their chances of getting out or receive a lesser sentence.

The man trembled in anger.

Issei Hyoudou… no! He and his two friends deserved to die!

He knew time was running short and needed to act **fast**!

The question was: Wow could he possibly kill them in such a short period of time?

He thought for a while, until he finally realized.

There was a way how he could do it!

He just needed to hurry up and do it.

And so, the man left, in order to get the necessary ingredient for the plan…

* * *

 _Kuoh Police Prison Cell – 1:12 pm_

Issei was exercising once again – though not alone this time. His two friends also joined in Issei's training.

Why was that?

Well, seeing as they were in prison with no smart-phone, no PC, no books, no porn and no food to eat (until lunch which should come anytime soon) they decided to just go along with Issei's exercises.

And Matsuda and Motohama were seeing the thrill of it. Not only, did it take their mind off of boredom, it challenged them and gave them something productive to do.

Matsuda found it especially good, as it brought him back to the days when he used to be an accomplished middle-school athlete.

Motohama, while never the athlete, also found some enjoyment in it. Looking at porn was better, but this… wasn't so bad either. Sure, he found it tiring, but it was better than nothing.

They were doing push-ups, sit-ups, frog jumps, pull-ups and a number of other exercises for an hour.

After all those exercises and being pooped out, Issei realized that there was something, he had been missing for his combat training – a sparring partner.

He convinced his two buddies to be his sparring partners. At first, they were hesitant about fighting, but they agreed to start off slow.

They took the mats from the bed and laid them on the floor, before they began and started with some improvised wrestling one-on-one.

They were clumsy, at first, but Issei seemed to have a good know-how on combat. After each match, Issei gave the two of them helpful instructions on how to improve on their fighting.

What they didn't know was that Ddraig was the one secretly giving Issei all these hints.

Either way, all three of them had fun learning how to fight.

From wrestling, they went on to try out grappling and tripping each other. It wasn't easy, but they got better at that.

Most of the times, it was Issei that came out on top. Probably, because Issei had a head-start when it came to physical strength, endurance and speed (due to his habitual training, of course!).

Anyway, as it now stood, Issei had won twelve one-on-one matches, while Matsuda won eight and Motohama won five.

As of this moment, Issei was trying to fight both Matsuda and Motohama at the same time (and for the first time, too).

He stood there, looking at both of his opponents who were both shirtless and sweating – just like he was.

Issei knew that if both Matsuda and Motohama got a hold of them, they would take him down.

 **[Partner, use your head!]** Ddraig instructed. **[Instead of using brute strength to try to overcome them, you should try to take advantage of the room's entirety and take them down one by one.]**

Issei nodded mentally. With Ddraig on his side, they were going down!

Matsuda and Motohama moved closer in order to take down Issei.

"You know, taking us one by one is one thing…" Matsuda remarked with a smirk.

"…But trying to take both of us head-on is bound to fail!" Motohama added.

"Heh, we'll see about that!" Issei said confidently.

As the two of them approached him, he jumped back and moved behind the bunk-bed.

"Hey, what's the matter? Can't take us on?" Matsuda mocked.

Issei didn't say anything. Instead, he gestured with his hand as if telling them "Come on!".

Both of them, looked at each other and nodded. It seems they had something in mind.

They both rushed at Issei from different sides of the bunk-bed, Matsuda from Issei's left and Motohama from Issei's right.

Issei smirked. His plan worked! He had them exactly where he wanted them.

As they came, Issei suddenly moved towards Matsuda.

Matsuda was caught in surprise, as evidenced by him flinching back.

Using this to his advantage, Issei grabbed Matsuda's right arm with one arm and used the other to seize his shoulder and then used the momentum to yank his arm up and push him down to the floor.

Matsuda grunted as he landed. He probably wouldn't get up for a while.

With Motohama left, Issei went head-to-head with him.

Issei grabbed Motohama, while he grabbed him in return and tried to trip him. Issei on the other hand was well-aware of that attempt, as he became aware of his friend's fighting habits.

It was Ddraig, by the way, who told him: **[Every enemy has fighting habits and tactics that one constantly uses. Find out his habits and tactics and think of a way to counter them. Adaptation is a vital quality that one needs to fight opponents of any kind – especially those who are stronger than oneself. If you are capable of thinking fast in situations where you are hopelessly outnumbered, you may even turn your disadvantage into an advantage.]**

Issei took this advice to heart. He constantly dodged Motohama's attempts to swipe him with his legs, looking downwards at his legs, until he found the perfect moment.

As Motohama tried to swipe him once again, Issei seized the momentum by stopping Motohama's leg while it was outstretched and seized his leg with his own.

Then Issei quickly let go of Motohama's torso and seized his leg and lifted it with both arms. This caused Motohama to lose balance and fall on his back.

All that was left for Issei to do, was to get on top of him and pin him down with his knee on Motohama's chest and thus Issei was the winner.

"Ughh… Issei…" Matsuda groaned, as he got up. "The next time, if you do something like this… please use the mats… This really hurts…" he said as he massaged his back.

"Yeah, man… this may be fun, but being thrown on the floor really hurts!" Motohama added on the ground.

"Ahahaha…" Issei laughed nervously, as he got off of Motohama. "Sorry, I got carried away there…"

"Knock, knock, knock…" the door went. All three of them drew their attention to the door as the police officer looked in through the door slit.

"Could you please keep it down? You're disturbing the other inmates" the officer spoke sternly.

The perverted trio only blushed in embarrassment.

"""S-s-sorry…""" the three apologized. Ok… they were definitely going to tone down their martial arts sessions in the future…

"Anyway, here's your lunch, so please enjoy your meal!" the man said, as he pushed the tray through the door-slit and left.

"Oh well…" Issei said. "…let's eat, shall we? All this training and fighting has made me hungry!"

"Good idea!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Let's dig in!" Motohama added.

The perverted trio took the tray and put it on the table.

On it were ramen with pork-cutlets and a bottle of water.

After washing their hands, they got ready to eat.

"Say, guys?" Motohama asked. Issei and Matsuda turned their eyes from their lunch to him.

"What is it?" Issei asked.

"The lawyer guy will come, right?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, he will! Don't be so pessimistic" Issei reassured him.

"Issei's right" Matsuda added. "I mean, if the prison guards say that he'll come, he'll come! I mean, the worst that could happen to us would be, if we died the moment he came in…."

As he prepared to dig in, however…

 **[Stop! Don't eat it!]** Ddraig's voice suddenly lifted its voice, startling all three of them. Matsuda immediately dropped his fork.

Matsuda and Motohama looked around bewildered as they tried to find the source of the voice.

"What was that? I thought, I heard someone say 'Stop, don't eat it!'" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Motohama confirmed. "You're not the only one. I heard the same thing!"

Issei on the other hand, knew who that voice belonged to and thus communicated with Ddraig mentally.

'Ddraig! Are you crazy? What do you think, you're doing? Matsuda and Motohama just heard your voice!' Issei rebuked Ddraig.

 **[I'm sorry, Partner. But I had to do it!]** Ddraig replied.

'Why?' Issei asked.

 **[That food you have before you…]** Ddraig started.

'Yeah? What about it?' Issei asked, looking at the ramen with pork-cutlets.

 **[…I don't know why, but I think it's poisoned!]** Ddraig finished.

"POISONED!?" Issei exclaimed loudly. This caused Matsuda and Motohama to be startled once again.

"Wha-what about 'poisoned'? What are you talking about, man?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, and why did you just say it out loud? It really hurt my ears…" Matsuda complained, as he rubbed his right ear in pain.

"I-I'm sorry, guys, but…" Issei trailed off, before communicating with Ddraig again.

'What do you mean by poisoned, Ddraig?' Issei queried.

 **[Just like I said. The food has been poisoned by something. I can tell, just by the smell it gives off. Partner, go call the next warden and tell him that the food has been poisoned!]** Ddraig instructed Issei.

"Issei?" Matsuda said confused, as he was waiting for answer from him.

"You said you're sorry, but… what were you going to say? You just trailed off there" Motohama remarked, also confused at everything that transpired in the last minute.

Issei didn't say anything, instead he took the food tray, went to the door and knocked on it.

"What is it?" the guard asked, looking through the door slit.

"Sir, we think someone has poisoned this lunch here" Issei said.

The guard just raised an eyebrow, as he looked down at the food.

"And what makes you so sure of it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure… maybe it's the smell or… just the way it's colored… something like that! Anyway, could you please analyze it, sir?" Issei asked, hoping the guard would buy it.

The man looked at the food closely once again. After a while, he made a decision.

"All right, I'll take it. We'll have it inspected and checked for anything suspicious. Until then, please wait for at least another hour."

The man took the tray from Issei and left to have it analyzed.

As soon as the gurad left, Matsuda and Motohama didn't waste badgering Issei with questions.

"Dude, what on earth was that voice? Where did it come from?" Matsuda began.

"What do you mean the food is poisoned and what kind of smell did it give off that you would recognize it as poison, anyway?" Motohama added.

"You spaced out earlier, too? Did that have something to with it?" Matsuda asked again.

"And shouted, too! You shouted 'Poisoned?', as if someone just spoke to you and you just repeated what that someone said!" Motohama added again.

"We want answers, Issei! What's going on? You've been acting weird, ever since your parents died!" Matsuda badgered.

"Yeah, you've been acting strange in all kinds of ways! Grieving, we can understand. Losing your cool with Mikasa and the others, we can understand, too! But now, you're training like you're going for the Olympics, while mumbling some weird words to yourself! And now all the sudden, you're able to sense poison? Is there something going on that you're not telling us?" Motohama demanded.

Sweating bullets, Issei didn't know what to say.

On the one hand, he knew he was being cornered. Matsuda and Motohama were close to finding out the truth.

He didn't want them to find out the truth.

He didn't want to drag them into the supernatural.

But then again, Issei dragged them into a lot more messes than he was expecting, anyway. So, why did it matter?

But, if Issei did that, Matsuda and Motohama would fight for their lives in a world full of supernatural beings that they possibly couldn't defeat.

Heck, Issei didn't know if he could survive the potential onslaught!

He may have the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig and the Boosted Gear with him, sure! But even if he could take the challenge head-on, Matsuda and Motohama couldn't!

But back to the matter at hand, what should Issei do?

Tell them the truth and risk their lives or say nothing and keep them safe?

What on earth was he supposed to do?

What… should… he…do…?

[…]

 **[That's enough, Partner! It's no point hiding anymore!]** Ddraig's gruff draconic voice sounded loud and clear for all of them to hear.

Once again, Matsuda and Motohama were bewildered.

"Hey, it's that voice again!" Motohama exclaimed, looking around the cell once more.

"Ok, who the hell are you? What are you? Show yourself!" Matsuda demanded.

 **[*Sigh* I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this… Partner, summon the Boosted Gear!]** Ddraig told Issei.

"Partner?" Matsuda asked surprised, as his eyes focused on Issei.

"Ddraig, are you sure?" Issei asked, while looking at his left arm.

"Ddraig? Is that the voice's name?" Motohama asked Issei.

 **[Do it!]** Ddraig insisted.

Issei hesitated, but he decided to do it anyway. There was no going back, now…

 **[BOOSTED GEAR!]**

A bright flash of red and green appeared, blinding both Matsuda and Motohama. Once they opened their eyes, though…

"W-w-what is that…?" Motohama asked with widened eyes.

What Matsuda and Motohama saw was a blood-red, crimson gauntlet on Issei's left arm. On it was a green jewel that flashed brightly.

Matsuda and Motohama were shocked and awed, as they saw the gauntlet radiating with power.

 **[It seems like the time has come to introduce myself** …] Ddraig spoke from the gauntlet.

"W-w-who are you…?" Matsuda asked.

He was dumbfounded. He had seen a lot of things… been through a lot of things… but this is something beyond his comprehension…

His buddy Motohama was also just like him. He, too, couldn't believe what he was seeing – from his friend Issei out of all people!

Together they stood there, trembling at the awesome sight that came from the supernatural gauntlet.

 **[I am Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor and one of the two Heavenly Dragons. I'm sorry, my Partner and I had to keep so many secrets to ourselves, but what you are going to hear, you are going to make sure to keep it for yourselves. Is that clear?]** Ddraig commanded.

""Y-y-yes…"" they managed to say, for they were to shocked to say anything more.

 **[Good! I think, it's time I told you about everything that has transpired from beginning up till now…]** Ddraig said, as he explained his origins once more.

* * *

 **And that was chapter 5 of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **I have to admit, I was hoping for Issei to meet his next enemy here in this chapter, but I didn't want to drag out the chapter more than I had to.**

 **So, anyway. Let's talk a bit about the chapter.**

 **Issei and his two buddies are finally learning some combat-training! I've been waiting for quite some time to get them to train together!**

 **Now, I'm not sure what kind of martial art or fighting style, I'll be giving them.**

 **I'll give them something that's for sure! Even if it could be purely improvised or created by me.**

 **In the mean-time, Matsuda and Motohama finally find out about Ddraig.**

 **I've also been waiting for this! All this waiting and writing… but it was worth it – worth the story, the development and the build-up!**

 **Speaking of story and build-up.**

 **Yes, the perverted trio's food has been poisoned.**

 **And I think you can all guess who it is.**

 **However, I won't give him a name here.**

 **That's something the perverted trio has to find out in the next chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please, write and review.**

 **I hope, I can release the next chapter soon, which is not always easy for me because I am in training and work full time and thus am rather busy.**

 **Until then, see you soon!**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	6. Chapter 6 - Finding the culprit

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there! It's me, Hide Shinyama!**

 **Last time, the perverted trio take up some of Issei's training regimen in Kuoh Police Prison.**

 **While there, they discover that their food had been poisoned! They tell a guard, but Matsuda and Motohama had many questions about the strange events surrounding Issei.**

 **In the end, Ddraig reveals himself and thus Matsuda and Motohama discover Issei's secret and become aware of the supernatural world.**

 **Awestruck, they decided to listen to Ddraig, who once again had to explain his story to the two perverts.**

 **Anyway, on with it!**

Chapter 6 – Finding the culprit

 _Kuoh Police Prison cell – 7_ _th_ _September, Friday, 1:35 pm_

It had been a minute since Ddraig finished telling his story.

Matsuda and Motohama sat on the lower bed, listening with complete interest.

They just could not believe what was happening!

They never though that they would ever live to see or hear a dragon speak to them – let alone from a gauntlet on Issei's arm!

They heard all kinds of things from the Red Dragon Emperor called Ddraig.

They learned that he was a powerful being of ancient times that could defy supernatural beings of all kinds and did as he pleased, until the three factions and their leader destroyed his body and placed it in a so-called "Sacred Gear".

They also learned that mythological beings like angels, devils, fallen angels, youkai, dragons of all kinds and even gods existed…

They… they just could not believe it!

On the other hand, what else were you supposed to do, if you were told all your life that these kinds of creatures were fairy-tales?

Suddenly, the universe felt vaster to them than before.

Everything, they thought did not exist… existed…

However, if that is true…

""SEXY MERMAIDS EXIST, YEAH!"" Matsuda and Motohama exclaimed simultaneously.

 **[Ummm… What?]** Ddraig asked. Clearly, he was confused at their outburst.

"Sexy mermaids? What are you guys talking about?" Issei asked just as confused. Nevertheless, Matsuda and Motohama just continued uninterrupted.

"AND HOT FAIRIES!"

"AND ELVES!"

"AND SEXY MAGICAL GIRLS PROBABLY EXIST, TOO!"

"CHIBIUSA! WE'RE COMING!"

"GUYS!" Issei shouted, causing the two of them to pipe down and look at Issei.

"Guys, there probably is a limit of beings that exist out there, so don't get your hopes high" Issei told them.

 **[He's right! I know for a fact that the elves and fairies like the kind you're thinking of don't exist. In fact, I even doubt magic girls exist]** Ddraig added.

At this, Matsuda's and Motohama's mood plummeted.

"Oh, bother…" Matsuda said downcast.

"Sexy mermaids… *sob*" Motohama said sadly.

Issei and Ddraig just looked on with a metaphorical sweat drop running down their face.

'Wow, they really were looking forward to seeing mermaids, fairies, elves and magic girls. Huh?' Issei thought. Honestly, there was so much they had yet to see and the first thing, they have to think about are these kind of creatures?

"But say, Issei," Motohama spoke up, as he lifted his head up. "That dragon… whatever his name is…"

 **[Ddraig! My name is Ddraig, boy!]** Ddraig said annoyed, who didn't like it when people forget his name – even more so if he just told them of his life story.

"Yeah, thanks **Ddraig**!" Motohama emphasized, as he, too, was annoyed by Ddraig's interruption.

"Anyway," he continued. "Ddraig never quite told us how he found you of all people. So, how come he came to you?"

At this Issei felt unwell. He really did not want to retell what happened to him on that night. But it seems like he had no choice.

"Well," Issei began. "It all happened… on the night when my parents and I came back from the Grand Theater in Kuoh…"

"That night?" Matsuda queried.

"You mean the night when the murder happened? Didn't you say back then that you went home earlier that day?" Motohama questioned.

"That… was a lie," Issei confessed, shocking his two buddies. "Actually, I sat through the opera… in its entirety…"

"You lied?" Matsuda asked shocked, before he connected the dots together. "Wait… are you telling us…?"

"Yes," Issei nodded, his mood becoming somber. "I was there that night… in that alley… I saw… how my parents… were killed…" he tried to say it with a straight face, but found it hard to do so.

His teeth clenched together, as he remembered how his mother was hit with the pistol and his father was shot with the gun, barely clinging on to life. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, as the grief came back to him once again.

Matsuda and Motohama just looked on in shock… and in pity… So that is why Issei freaked out, the other day! He witnessed the entire thing! They couldn't imagine how traumatizing it could be, but at the same time had more respect for their friend for shouldering such a burden…

"…But that wasn't all…" Issei continued his face red from crying. "…the murderer… tried to kill me, too…"

"Kill you!?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"What the hell!?" Motohama said aloud.

It was one thing after another. Witnessing your parents die was one thing; it was another thing if somebody tried to kill you!

"And? How did you survive? Did you call Ddraig, or something like that?" Motohama asked anxiously.

Issei wiped his tears away, as he tried to address their curiosity.

"Well… sort of…" Issei explained, trying to quell his tears. "I heard his voice speaking in my head, asking me if I wanted to be stronger… I agreed… and I ended up summoning the Boosted Gear, just as you saw just recently… it caused me to boost my physical power… and, well… the rest you can probably guess what happened…"

The two of them nodded, as they remembered Issei's words and the newspaper articles about the incident. Issei broke the man's neck and spine… the report even mentioned that the thug had been put in a full nelson from behind, causing his spine to be protruding from his body the way it was found.

In fact, come to think of it… the newspaper did say some people saw a suspicious person running away from the scene, carrying a red gauntlet of some kind… that must have been Issei and the Boosted Gear! There was no mistake!

They shuddered at the thought. Issei, their best friend, had killed somebody! Not a bug or an animal or something like that… but a real human being! The grief and horror that Issei had to go through must have been… unbearable… They were surprised that he didn't stay at home and become a hikikomori, trying to recover from the horror and grief that he witnessed…

But there was one nagging question that they had to ask Issei.

"Why… didn't you tell us, Issei?" Matsuda asked, his eyes showing compassion and pity.

"I… I just… I just didn't want you guys to get involved, that's all…"

"Not get involved!" Motohama said angrily. "Issei, we're your friends! Friends are supposed to be there for each other!"

"Yeah," Matsuda said, being just as mad as his companion. "What kind of friends would we be, if we weren't there for you? You may have killed someone, but that's no reason to hide it from us!"

"You don't understand guys!" Issei retorted. "It's not just that I killed someone, it's…" Issei trailed off.

Matsuda and Motohama raised an eyebrow at Issei trailing off.

"It's what?" Matsuda asked.

"Yeah, what other reason do you have for not telling us?" Motohama questioned.

Issei sighed at first, but decided to tell them.

"…It's the fact that supernatural beings of all kinds may actually come to hunt me down…"

""WHAT!?"" Issei's friends shouted, causing Issei to flinch.

"What do you mean 'Hunt you down'?" Motohama asked.

 **[Just like he said]** Ddraig answered this time. **[There are supernatural beings of all kinds out there that wish to recruit my host by all means necessary, if not kill him! Bringing you in would have needlessly endangered you.]**

Matsuda and Motohama were stupefied once again. First, Issei's parents get killed by some criminal. Then, Issei kills the same man in a… very unpleasant manner… Now, there are legions of supernatural beings that (up to half-an-hour ago) they did not know existed, were now coming to kill Issei!

Seriously! Give Issei a break! He has already gone through more than enough of what a teenage boy like him should go through…

Nevertheless, while they were on the topic of Issei's hardships, Matsuda and Motohama both looked at each other, before nodding in agreement to something.

"We don't care!" Motohama stated.

Ddraig was surprised at the response he was being given. He actually expected some kind of understanding, some kind of desire to back off… but this? They had to be lying, brave or dumb!

"Besides, we're in jail, aren't we? So, either way we're in this with Issei together. Don't think you can hog Issei all for yourself!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Guys…" Issei said. He was touched at the kindness his friends had to him and shed tears of happiness at that.

"Dude, we're your friends. We would never abandon you. And no one, not even gods, can stop our friendship!" Motohama declared with a confident smile. "So, please… please don't cry anymore…"

At that, Issei wiped away his tears once again. Issei was glad that he had friends like them… who stood with him… even while his life was spiraling downward.

He moved towards them… and they moved towards Issei… as they looked at each other with smiles on their face…

But that moment was interrupted when they stopped and turned their heads towards the door. They heard footsteps – lots of them – coming their way.

 **[Partner, there are people coming this way! Quick! Dismiss the Boosted Gear!]** Ddraig commanded Issei.

Issei did so, causing the gear to vanish, as though it never was on Issei's arm to begin with.

Then, all of them heard a knocking on the door.

"Pardon for disturbing. But we need to do a thorough check on the prison cell," one of the policemen outside said through the door.

The door opened, revealing several policemen. To the surprise of the perverted trio there were a total of ten policemen, among them the guard whom Issei had given the poisoned tray to.

What could they possibly want?

"Umm… what is this investigation all about?" Issei asked in a scared, but polite manner.

"Oh, yes. We have analyzed the food, you claimed was poisoned," the guard said.

"And…?" Issei asked on hoping to hear the answer.

"You were right. We found a significant dose of cyanide inside the ramen, strong enough to kill all three of you," the man replied.

At that the perverted trio stared in shock at what the man said.

"Cyanide?" Motohama said incredulously.

"Strong enough to kill us!?" Matsuda said in like manner.

The man nodded at that. "Exactly, our forensic team had a look at the lunch you were supposed to have and sure enough, it was positive of cyanide".

"Well, that's good to know. But, why investigate our cell?" Issei asked.

"To make sure that the cyanide didn't come from you. After all, we don't know whether you three just put it in there," the man responded.

"Hey, are you accusing us of trying to poison ourselves?" Motohama accused the police officer.

"No, no…" the man reassured. "We are just making sure…just making sure that the cyanide didn't come from you…"

The policemen waiting outside the prison cell came in and started their work.

"In the meantime… please follow me," the man instructed Issei, Matsuda and Motohama. "Until the investigations finish, you will have to wait outside for a while".

The three of them nodded and followed the man just outside the cells where they had to wait until the investigation was completed.

What they didn't know (except for Ddraig, who could sense his animosity) was that one of the policemen nearby on guard duty looked at them (especially Issei!) with a look of hatred in his eyes.

* * *

 _Kuoh Police Prison, just outside the perverted trio's cell – 1:47 pm_

While the police investigators were searching every nook and cranny, Issei and his friends were forced to wait outside.

Since then, two police officers were keeping watch over them, they talked about the recent discovery instead.

On the one hand, Issei was glad that the police found poison in the food (that confirmed Ddraig's sense of detection. Such ability would come in really handy in the future). Yet, on the other hand…

"Why do we have to wait here…?" Matsuda said, clearly annoyed and tired. "I mean, it's good that they detected cyanide in the food… Thanks, by the way, Issei. You really saved our lives there".

"No problem, Matsuda, but…" Issei started to whisper. "You have to thank Ddraig for that. He was the one who smelled out the poison".

"Oh…" Matsuda trailed off. He didn't know that, it seems.

"Seriously, guys…" Motohama started, causing the two of them to look at him. "…why are they suspecting us? I mean, we don't have a reason to put poison on our food! And even if we did, how were we supposed to smuggle in cyanide? Why would we smuggle in cyanide, huh?" he asked rhetorically.

The obvious answer, of course, would have to be that that was impossible and that they had no reason for doing it.

"I don't know… I guess they were just trying to be professional…" Issei tried to answer.

"Well, professional my a**! They can stick their professionalism where the sun don't shine!" Matsuda ranted.

Issei sighed once again until a seemingly angry police officer came up to them.

"You three, come with me!" he demanded.

The three of them were shocked and confused at his outburst.

"What? The investigations aren't o-" Issei started, but the man cut him off.

"No questions! Now, get moving and follow me!" the police man demanded aggressively.

"Hey, Shinpei!" one of the policemen said. Apparently, they were quite familiar with each other. "What are you talking about? The three of them are supposed to stay here until the investigations finish."

"Well, I've got orders to bring them to the detention facilities… Now move it!" he barked.

The three of them went in haste and followed the police officer, as they went down the hallway. They wondered what the guy's problem was and where he was taking them.

As they walked away, the two policemen went to their superior in the cell.

"Sir, Ito-san has taken the three delinquents to the detention facilities!" one of them said.

"What? Who gave him these orders?" the superior demanded.

"We don't know, sir," they replied. "But may I have permission to speak, sir?"

"Granted. What is it?"

"Sir, Ito-san has been acting strange lately…" at that, the superior officer wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Strange in what way?" he demanded.

"Well, sir," the man explained. "As you know, he and I transferred here recently from Gunma Prefecture and so I know him quite a bit".

"And…What does this have to do with anything?" the superior demanded.

"Well, he has… been quite angry lately… and very obsessed about something…" the junior officer explained.

"Angry… obsessed?" the superior asked confused. The police officer nodded.

"Yes, lately Kojima-san just told me that the other day, Ito-san had been checking the criminal database for some reason," he continued.

"And… What's the problem with that?" the superior queried.

"There's more, sir," the officer said. "On the computer, Kojima-san found that the file of Issei Hyoudou had been opened".

"Issei Hyoudou…" the superior officer thought. "That's one of the inmates of this cell, isn't it?"

"Correct, sir" the officer affirmed.

"You mentioned something about him having anger issues, didn't you?" the superior questioned further.

"Yes, sir. Apparently, he has had this foul mood around him, ever since his sister ended up in a coma just recently."

"In a coma… Why is she in a coma, officer?" he demanded.

"Well, I heard she got into a fight with a boy at the local academy. The boy was arrested soon afterwards along with two others" this caused something to click in the superior's head.

"Wait, a boy and two others who were arrested… for a brawl no less… Tell me, officer, what were the three young men from this cell arrested for?"

"That…I'm not sure…" the officer responded shyly.

"Sir," the other officer who guarded the perverted trio spoke up. "They were arrested for attacking and injuring girls in cla- Wait, sir. Do you think, they are the same boys that beat up Ito-san's little sister?" he asked.

His superior did not answer, instead he was thinking about the facts that he just heard. There was something about it that seemed fishy… but what…?

"Sir, another thing," the first officer spoke up. "When Ito-san took them away, he also seemed unusually angry. For some reason, he seemed to direct his anger towards the three young men".

Suddenly, all the pieces of the puzzle came together. The inspector stood there visibly stunned.

It made sense. Ito-san being angry… the coma of his sister… him looking up Issei Hyoudou on the database… Issei Hyoudou being incarcerated for violence against girls… his food being laced with cyanide… Ito-san's angry reaction towards Issei and his friends…

"Ummm… sir?" one of the officers asked, hoping to get his attention

Immediately, the superior took action.

"Go, to the detention facility and find Ito-san and those boys!" he told his men urgently.

"""Yes, sir! Right away, sir!""" they responded and marched away.

The superior did not stop there. He took his cell-phone and dialed the phone number of his boss.

"Captain, we've got an emergency situation of a sort. One of our officers is tring to kill some of our inmates!"

 _Meanwhile with Issei and his friends_

The perverted trio followed the officer to the detention facility. It had been quite some time when they were last there. The three of them shuddered as they remembered the interrogations by the investigators there. It wasn't as bad as they had imagined, but it wasn't very pleasant either…

Anyway, the perverted trio nervously followed the police officer called Shinpei Ito as they came closer to the cells.

On the way there, Ddraig spoke to Issei.

 **[Partner, there's something wrong.]**

'What?' Issei asked surprised. 'What do you mean?'

 **[I've been watching that particular policeman for quite some time now and something doesn't add up]** Ddraig answered.

'What doesn't add up?' Issei asked, intrigued by what Ddraig said.

 **[That police officer claimed that he had orders from someone else, but ever since he came in with his other colleagues, he was just leaning back against the wall there, staring at you]** Ddraig replied.

Issei widened his eyes, but resisted the urge to yelp in surprise. 'Watching me!?'

Ddraig nodded. **[Yes, Partner. Moreover, all that time he was standing there, he didn't say anything or do anything. In fact, nobody even bothered to approach him for all this time. He didn't pick up his phone either. Yet, how did he receive orders from someone telling him to take you to the detention facilities?]**

Something inside Issei clicked.

Yes, that's right… Come to think of it, he did see that man – and that man was doing nothing, but standing against the wall… He may not have seen his face, but he did think that the police officer was acting weird compared to his other colleagues.

 **[Partner, that's not all!]** Ddraig continued. **[The police officer has been showing a lot of killing intent towards you for some reason.]**

At that statement, Issei felt a chill down his spine, as he glanced at the Ito's back. He wasn't able to see his face, but what he was able to see was Ito's hand was anxiously reaching for the gun…

Issei watched in horror, as he started to fear the worst.

'Ddraig? What are you trying to say?' Issei asked nervously.

 **[I'm saying you should be on your guard, Partner. That police officer is acting far too suspiciously… Prepare to summon me, if necessary…]** Ddraig warned him.

After Ddraig said that, the four of them arrived at one of the cells.

The suspicious officer unlocked the door and opened it.

"Get in!" Ito commanded. Matsuda and Motohama nodded nervously and went in. Why? Why was he doing this? What did they do to deserve this?

Issei on the other hand was sweating anxiously as he went in because he knew what was going to happen.

Their lives were in danger! Matsuda, Motohama and himself could be killed!

 **[Calm down, Partner! The moment you lose your cool, is also the moment you lose your lives. You need to focus. Once that person shuts the door, summon your Boosted Gear. This person is definitely out to kill you! In situations like this, I would have you use the Dragon Shot, but you're not ready for that.]**

'Then what do I do!?' Issei asked Ddraig in a panic.

 **[You'll have to make due with just the Boosted Gear and its Boost ability. Once he locks the door, don't wait for him to do whatever he is trying to do! Take him down as soon as possible using your hand-to-hand combat skills!]** Ddraig advised urgently.

Issei gulped. This was going to be a very risky strategy! He loved action movies where the hero takes the bullet for someone else, but actually doing it in real life… that wasn't what he was hoping to do!

As Issei entered the cell, Officer Ito closed it and locked it from behind.

"Now, move to the back!" Ito told them.

Matsuda and Motohama complied, but Issei remained where he stood, standing right next to the angry police officer.

"I said move!" Ito said harshly, but Issei, though uncomfortable with being shouted at, stood his ground.

"No," Issei simply said in defiance. Judging from what the police officer was ordering them to do, it seems like he was trying to get them to line up the wall and shoot them dead.

The man angrily took a hold of Issei, trying to force him to the wall with his buddies.

Matsuda and Motohama were shocked. Why was Issei resisting that policeman? Was he crazy?

Issei, though, wasn't going to stay passive here, instead he summoned his Boosted Gear, appearing in a flash.

 **[Boost!]**

"What the-" Ito started, before something hard hit his stomach and sent him flying to the door.

The angry police officer held his stomach in pain with his right hand, as he looked at Issei.

To his shock, he saw a red metal-like gauntlet on Issei's arm with a green jewel at its back.

"What…? Where the hell did you get that?" he asked in pain, as he pulled his gun with his left and pointed it at Issei.

"ISSEI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Matsuda shouted.

"YEAH! ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Motohama shouted as well.

Issei ignored their outbursts, as he looked straight at the downed policeman.

 **[Boost!]** the Boosted Gear sounded, as Issei doubled his power.

"Tell me. Why are you trying to kill us?" Issei asked sternly.

Ito didn't answer. Instead, he just glared at Issei with hate, as he pulled the trigger.

 **[BANG!]**

A bullet from Ito's gun flew and hit Issei's gauntlet that Issei conveniently held up with his left arm. The bullet ricocheted to the ceiling.

Ito looked in shock. How could that boy deflect that bullet? Where did that gauntlet even come from?

That moment of shock was more than enough for Issei to rush at him in an attempt to punch him.

Unfortunately, before the punch could hit him, Ito jumped out of the way and aimed the gun at Issei a second time.

"NO!" Matsuda screamed, as he threw the table at Ito, as he crashed to the ground. The moment Ito was hit, the trigger was pulled once again.

 **[BANG!]**

The bullet whizzed by Issei by mere inches and hit the wall.

'That was close!' Issei thought fearfully. He needed to take that rogue police officer out or the next one might actually kill them!

Ito stood up once again, but this time he aimed the gun at Matsuda.

Matsuda widened his eyes in shock and horror as he stood there frozen out of fear.

However, Motohama quickly took action.

He ran and pushed Matsuda out of the way, but unfortunately…

 **[BANG!]**

"AAAAGHHHH!" Motohama screamed, as he and Matsuda fell.

Matsuda looked in horror at Motohama. The reason for that his horror was because the bullet had hit Motohama's left shoulder. He could see Motohama thrashing and grunting in pain, as blood flowed freely from the wound.

Likewise, Issei also looked in horror, as he saw his friend bleeding and wailing in agony on the ground.

For Issei, it seemed like time stood still, as he suddenly had flashbacks of his parents' deaths.

The gunshots, the blood, the screams…

It all seemed so similar… just like back then…

And now, it was going to happen again!

No… No… No! He would not let that happen again… He would not let that happen again!

How could he…? Why would he…?

Whatever the man's reasons for trying to kill him and his friends, Issei would never allow it!

" _I won't die so easily! I'll make sure to live on – for your sakes! I've got friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors and all of Kuoh, too! I'll protect them so that nobody will have to go through the pain of losing their loved ones, like I did!"_

Issei remembered what he said to his parents' graves… Yes, he said that… and it was time to follow through on that promise!

 **[Boost!]**

Issei doubled his power once again, as he rushed at the rogue police officer.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Issei roared, as he came close to Ito.

Ito widened his eyes in shock, as Issei threw a punch at him with the Boosted Gear.

[WHAM!]

Issei's fist smashed into Ito's face with full power.

The result was that Ito immediately flew back into the wall head-first. Not only did he suffer a bloddy and broken nose, but he also had a concussion as well. He wouldn't be waking up from that anytime soon.

Seeing that his enemy no longer posed a threat, Issei slumped down exhausted, as he dismissed the Boosted Gear.

That was close… Rushing head-on against an opponent with a gun was pretty fool-hardy – even more so if you had no back-up plan.

While Issei was still trying to recover from the stress, he heard Motohama's painful cries.

"Issei! I need your help! Motohama has been hit!" Matsuda cried out.

Issei immediately got up to tend to Motohama. His shoulder was already bleeding badly from the bullet wound. Though both of them were inwardly relieved that Motohama didn't receive any life-threatening injuries, he still needed immediate medical attention. The bullet was probably still embedded inside Motohama's shoulder, something that could cause the wound to be inflamed.

Motohama needed medical attention – now!

As if on cue, the two of them heard footsteps from outside the cell. Then the door was unlocked, as police officers came rushing in with their guns ready.

"Don't move! Put your hands up in the air, now!" they shouted.

Matsuda and Issei didn't hesitate putting their hands up, while Motohama was resting against Matsuda and still clutching his shoulder whimpering.

Thankfully, the police didn't waste any time tending to the injured Motohama, while they arrested Issei and Matsuda. They also tended to the unconscious Ito who was slumped against the wall.

And so, Matsuda and Issei were taking into another detention cell once again. Motohama and Ito, on the other hand, were taken by the medical staff for treatment.

 _Kuoh Police Prison interrogation cell – 2:50 pm_

"So, you're telling us that police officer Ito brought you to the interrogation room, tried to kill you and you fought him self-defense, is that it?" the interrogator questioned Issei.

Issei nodded, though inwardly he was sighing once more. He already had enough on his plate with the upcoming trial, but why did he need some more legal trouble?

On the bright side, sitting next to him was his lawyer who was supposed to meet him and his buddies.

The lawyer (named Kyosuke Kashiwazaki) was dressed in brown coat, wore a gray suit with a tie and had brown hair. He was an experienced lawyer that had a long record of defending teenage criminals like Issei in court, but he had never experienced a time when the defendant was involved in another potentially criminal incident right before meeting him – no less within the Police Prison itself!

On the other side sat the same interrogator that had interrogated Issei upon his arrival. He was stern, strict – kind of like the student council president at Kuoh Academy, Souna Shitori.

Oh, how he missed Kuoh Academy… Issei longed for those carefree days when he was a free youngster going to school, instead of an imprisoned juvenile awaiting trial!

But unfortunately, as fate would have it, he was now sitting through another interrogation with a police officer asking him questions.

"Sir, if I may," the lawyer called Kashiwazaki spoke up. "My client here has stated it before. He had no control over any of the events. He was waiting for the investigations in his cell to be completed when that particular police officer came, took my client and his friends away and tried to shoot them. He was only acting in self-defense."

"I am well aware what your client has said, Mr. Kashiwazaki," the interrogator replied. "In fact, we have eyewitness accounts that confirm these things. We have also checked the police officer's background and personal life that also give us a motive on why he tried to kill Hyoudou and his friends Todoriki and Hibiki."

"And what was his motive, sir?" Kashiwazaki asked.

Issei listened intently. He too wanted to know why the rogue cop tried to kill him and his buddies.

"Well… from what we could gather, it seems that he was motivated by revenge… or so it would seem…" the investigator answered.

"Revenge?" Issei asked. What on earth could a police officer possibly have against him?

The officer looked at Issei. "Apparently, according to our investigations police officer Ito has a younger sister who happens to be in a coma because somebody injured her severely in a brawl at school. Her name is Misaka Ito. Sounds familiar to you, Hyoudou-san?"

Issei's expression turned to shock. So that was his motive…

Issei felt bad. Really bad… He wanted to apologize to him… apologize to Misaka and her entire family. He was hoping he could do it somehow in court, but now… it seems like the sins he committed against the Ito family seem to increase…

"Judging by the look on your face, it seems like you do," the investigator remarked with a smile on his face. "But do not worry, I don't see any reason to charge you with any crime. You clearly acted in self-defense."

Issei was relieved, but the investigator wasn't finished yet.

"I do have one last question for you though. What were those cuts on Ito's face?" the man asked.

Issei looked at him in confusion. "Uh… what do you mean?"

"From what you said, you knocked officer Ito out with one punch. But on further investigation, we found cuts on officer Ito's face that normally wouldn't be on someone's face after a punch. It looked more like you hit him with something… metallic…" the investigator explained.

Issei tried his best not to appear shocked – something which he miraculously managed to do.

'Oh crap! I've got to think of something… No way I'm ever going to tell them of my Boosted Gear. If they found out, who knows what they'll do to me…' Issei thought.

"Umm… well…" Issei tried to explain. "I really don't know myself… I mean, I just punched him with nothing more than my bare fists…"

The investigator raised an eyebrow at that, as though he found it hard to believe that. Thankfully, he didn't press it any further.

"Anyway, now that that's done, I think it's time to tell you the results of the investigations regarding the cyanide found in your lunch".

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot about it," Issei said. "How did it go?"

"We have discovered that the cyanide did not come from your room," the investigator replied.

"Uh… yeah… of course it didn't… I mean why would my buddies and I smuggle cyanide in our room?" Issei asked with a deadpan face.

"However," the police officer continued. "We did find out that officer Ito was reported to have been in the kitchen at 12 o'clock."

"In the kitchen? What for?" Kashiwazaki asked this time.

"And that was the most suspicious part. Officer Ito wasn't supposed to be there, but according to staff, he seemed to claim that he 'volunteered' to be there" the investigator said with air quotes. "The kitchen staff reported to us that officer Ito was preparing food for the prisoners and asked questions to them, like 'How does the food get distributed?' or 'Do the meals have labels with the name of the prison cell numbers attached to them?'"

"And? What did was the answer?" the lawyer asked.

"Well, as Hyoudou-san should know, every tray has labels determining who gets what, since not every prisoner gets the same meals. We do take pride into taking prisoner's considerations regarding food seriously," the officer beamed.

"Anyway," he continued. "According to kitchen staff. He insisted on helping them with the labelling and putting the food into the tray".

"Well, that's interesting… but what does this have to do with the cyanide investigation?" the lawyer questioned.

"I'm getting there," the police investigator said. "As I said, we found his activities in the kitchen to be rather suspicious in light of his attempted murder and the discovery of cyanide in Hyoudou-san's food, so we investigated the kitchen for cyanide and… voilà! We were right on track. A plastic package with traces of cyanide and Ito-san's fingerprints on it was found in the trash-can. That was the all the proof we needed to prove that he was the one who put the cyanide inside the food. Though unfortunately…"

"What is it?" Kashiwazaki asked.

"Well, the medical report about officer Ito's status states that he is in a coma, just like his younger sister," the officer stated, while turning to Issei once again. "You really need to learn to hold back your punches, son. If you keep this up, you might actually be charged for manslaughter someday," the investigator warned.

Issei felt a chill down his spine. But he nodded, nonetheless.

'Well, at least he won't be blabbing about the Boosted Gear anytime soon…' Issei thought with relief.

"Speaking of injuries, what happened to my client Motohama Todoriki?" the lawyer asked.

Issei likewise wanted to know. After all, Motohama was his friend and he was injured by a bullet.

"Oh, him? Well, according to our medical reports, he'll survive, but his collarbone has been partially shattered. It will take him some time, before he completely recovers," the investigator answered.

Issei looked completely saddened. Even though Motohama survived (for which he was very thankful for), Issei couldn't help but feel saddened by the fact that all this happened because of his outburst back in Kuoh Academy.

If only he never lost his temper… the three of them wouldn't be in this situation. They wouldn't have been in jail, both of the Ito's wouldn't have been in coma and most importantly, Motohama wouldn't have gotten a gunshot at his shoulder.

Issei thought: What kind of hero was he? He did swear to protect his friends and Kuoh, but what good was it, if he was the one causing grief and misery… anger and hatred… revenge and violence…?

'Is being a hero really something for me?' Issei thought.

Eventually, the investigator decided to call it a day (he had already questioned Matsuda, so therefore it really was fair to say to call it a day).

Issei and his lawyer were accompanied out by two of the guards outside – Mr. Kashiwazaki back to the entrance and Issei back to his cell.

On the way there, Issei could not help but feel… discouraged… unsettled even.

What would his parents have said, if they were still alive?

Issei could only imagine that they would be disappointed. This wasn't what they raised him to be? A criminal guilty for ruining the lives of two people because of his violent actions… Granted, they said or did despicable things – things that weren't acceptable whatsoever – but still… it wasn't something he was proud of…

And so Issei went, feeling completely down… but the worst part is… that his trial was tomorrow. He could only hope that he – and his two buddies Matsuda and Motohama – could somehow make it through…

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 6 of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **So, Matsuda and Motohama learn the truth about the supernatural world.**

 **As I've said before: I've been waiting for them to find out the truth because from there, they can catch up with Issei as he goes through trials and tribulations.**

 **Granted, the fight scene may not have been all that great, seeing as I still didn't bring in a supernatural character. But I really felt like I had to bring Mikasa's vengeful brother in this, so that Issei could be challenged – have his character built by the mistakes that he has made and learn from them.**

 **Speaking of challenges, Motohama is in the hospital and Issei and Matsuda have the trial up ahead! This is definitely going to be challenging, not only for them, but for me as well. I've never written a court scene before, so I need to look up how court procedures work.**

 **And you might be asking: "Hey, what about the supernatural beings? Don't you think you're forgetting about them? When are you going to bring them into the story? Are the perverted trio going to be in jail for life?"**

 **Well, please be patient. I don't plan on keeping them in jail forever.**

 **I do plan to finish their trial in court in the next chapter and then we'll see…**

 **Speaking of supernatural beings, here's a little sneak-peak of what the devils in Kuoh are doing…**

* * *

 _Kuoh Academy – 3:15 pm_

While Issei was being brought into his cell, in the three-story complex belonging to Kuoh Academy, was a Victorian-style room full of luxurious Victorian-style furniture and a pleasant aroma of ginger tea filling the air.

Preparing it was an attractive, busty Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese beauty) with a black-haired pony tail and an orange ribbon tied to it. She seemed to be good mood today for some reason.

Right next to her was an equally attractive and busty girl, except that she had red hair flowing down her shoulders. Unlike her companion, she seemed rather down, lying down on the couch while shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

Both of them were second-years in Kuoh Academy and were insanely popular among the students at Kuoh Academy (including the perverted trio).

"Ara, ara," the Yamato Nadeshiko said with a smile. "It's a really nice day outside, Rias".

"Uhh…" the red-haired girl called Rias groaned. "It's easy for you to say… You're not in the sunlight, Akeno…"

"You know if you don't want to be in the sunlight, you should just move, you know" Akeno remarked.

In the end, Rias got up and closed the curtains. But Rias still felt down nonetheless, as she let out a sigh.

"Ara, ara? What's the matter, Rias?" Akeno asked a bit concerned. "Are you not feeling well? You've been like that since Wednesday".

"It's… nothing, Akeno. Never mind…" Rias said dismissively, but tiredly.

"Rias…" Akeno said. "You know I can tell when something is bothering you, so tell me… please" she pleaded.

Rias sighed, but decided to give in.

"It's about that first-year student… Issei Hyoudou…" she started.

"Ufufufu," Akeno giggled. "What about him? Do you have a crush on him?"

Rias blushed and shook her head furiously. "N-no! That's not it! I just sensed that he had Sacred Gear inside him, that's all".

"Ufufufu. Really?" Akeno questioned her further.

"I mean it! I was hoping that I could turn him into one of my servants, but…you know…" Rias trailed off.

Akeno became serious at that. She and Rias had heard of Issei Hyoudou and his perverted antics and how she caused a lot of headaches for Sona Sitri (that was Souna Shitori's real name). But then, they heard of how his parents were killed by a criminal and that the criminal himself was also killed for some reason.

To top it all off, Issei and his friends beat up some girls in class after they made fun of their deaths. And now, they were in jail.

Akeno felt sympathy for the kouhai she had never met. She herself could relate to him through her own tragic experiences. After all, she herself had also been orphaned.

She only wondered how Issei was coping.

"But I do wonder…" Rias said, causing Akeno to pay attention to Rias. "Who killed Issei's parents' murderer…?"

"What do you mean?" Akeno asked.

"People said that they saw a boy or a man with a red gauntlet flee the scene… I wonder who it could have been…" Rias said.

"Maybe, it was Hyoudou-kun…" Akeno speculated.

"No… that's impossible… Sona told me that Hyoudou was at home… so I wonder… who was he?" Rias wondered.

Yes, a man having a red gauntlet on his arm… that sounded very much like a Sacred Gear… but what could it be? Who might be using it? And most importantly…

When could he reappear again?

* * *

 **Read and review. Your comments are very much appreciated. Until next time!**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Trio in Court

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there! It's me, Hide Shinyama!**

 **Sorry for the delay… I was sick the last few days, so I needed to rest a bit. But don't worry, I won't abandon my story – unlike many other fanfiction-writers have done. But anyway…**

 **The day of the court trial. It's finally here!**

 **But with Motohama in the Prison Hospital, how will Issei and Matsuda cope?**

 **And what lies ahead of them in court?**

 **Well, let's find out with…**

Chapter 7 – The Trio in Court

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 5:30 am – Kuoh Police Prison Cell_

Issei and Matsuda got up from their bed, Issei from the top bunk and Matsuda from the lower bunk.

Ever since the incident yesterday, Issei and Matsuda had the bunk-beds for themselves. While they were glad that they didn't have to share one of the beds with one or the other anymore, not having Motohama around felt kind of… empty.

Motohama was sent to the prison hospital ward because of his injuries and thus couldn't be here. Matsuda shuddered as he remembered his close brush with death – and the even closer brush Motohama had with it, too…

Matsuda was glad that Issei even had something as handy as the Boosted Gear. He wished he had one… He wouldn't want to be dead weight to Issei, after all. Presume, someone else like Officer Ito had a grudge against them and tried to kill them, it would really be great if he had anything worth defending himself with.

Speaking of Officer Ito… the trial was coming up. He really didn't want to face their accusers in court, who were probably made up of Officer Ito's and Mikasa's remaining family… and Mina's and Karen's families, as well!

Oh well… at least they had lawyer Kashiwazaki…

For now, all they could do until 10 am (that is when the trial begins) is to prepare a strategy with their lawyer. But because it was way too early for Mr. Kashiwazaki to show up (he was to show up at 8 am), Matsuda and Issei decided to train.

And so the two of them did push-ups, frog-jumps and some hand-to-hand combat, but it just wasn't the same…

Both still had Motohama on their mind. They pictured him lying down in a bed in the Prison Hospital with bandages covering his body. Who knows when he'll be released? And even if he was released, how will his injuries affect him? Will he ever use his arm again?

While Matsuda was thinking, he saw that Issei, too, had the same look of seriousness on his face, he had.

"Hey, Issei…" Matsuda spoke up. Issei moved his head towards him.

"Yeah, what's up?" Issei asked.

"Do you think… that Motohama will be ok?" Matsuda asked concerned.

Issei didn't say anything for a while, as he tried to think of an appropriate answer.

"Hmmm… I think he'll make it, but I don't know if he'll ever use his arm again…" Issei responded.

'You thought the same as me, huh?' Matsuda thought. The bullet did go through Motohama's shoulder. Something like that can't be without life-changing consequences…

"But there's something else I'm worried about…" Issei said.

"Is it about the trial?" Matsuda asked. To his surprise, Issei shook his head.

"No… though I can't say that I'm not bothered about it either," Issei replied.

"Well, what is it?" Matsuda asked again.

"It's about… us, actually – or our future more specifically," Issei answered.

Matsuda looked at his friend confused. Future? What on earth was he talking about? As though Issei read his thoughts, Issei answered his questions.

"I mean, although we are in the same prison cell together, we're being charged for different reasons, correct?"

Matsuda nodded. Indeed. Issei was charged for battery, causing grievous bodily harm and attempted manslaughter. Matsuda and Motohama on the other hand were charged for sexual assault and inflicting harm on a girl.

Wait a minute… Could it be…?

"Issei, you're not actually saying…" Matsuda said in fear.

"Yes," Issei nodded. "There is a chance, we could be sentenced to differing degrees of punishment, including…" Issei looked down in dread. "…me being sentenced for a longer prison sentence…"

Matsuda stood agape, as he heard Issei's answer.

Indeed, that was his biggest fear. Being sentenced to differing prison terms – that was Matsuda feared the most. Away from Issei… away from Motohama… locked away in a prison cell somewhere far away from each other…

Matsuda and Issei were told that in case they were sentenced, they would have to serve separately from each other – something they also feared might happen.

'Sentenced… Who knows for how long we'll even be apart… one year, five years, ten years?' Matsuda thought in dread.

Before Matsuda could continue his line of thought, Issei continued to speak.

"On top of that, Motohama will have a different trial date… I think… who knows how long he'll be in that hospital before he gets his trial… so that is definitely going to separate us on the long term…" he said sadly.

Matsuda didn't reply. He just looked at Issei in sadness.

"ISSEI!" Matsuda shouted as he suddenly hugged him.

Issei felt rather awkward at Matsuda hugging him, but decided to return the gesture, since he himself also felt sadness at the thought of being separated from his friends Matsuda and Motohama.

They stood there for what felt like an eternity, not caring if anyone (including Ddraig) was going to look at them funny because of how desperate they were.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE, MAN! I WANT THE PERVERTED TRIO TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER!" Matsuda wailed.

Issei just stood there hugging his friend, as he comforted him with his presence.

"Dude…" Issei said softly.

"Yeah…?" Matsuda whispered.

"Whatever happens, we'll always be together… You… Me… and Motohama… Promise…" Issei comforted Matsuda.

Matsuda smiled softly, as Issei comforted him.

"I'd like to believe that, but what makes you so sure…?" Matsuda asked.

"I… I don't know," Issei admitted. "I just have a feeling that we will…"

Matsuda didn't know what to say. He just decided to cherish the moment, as they continued to hug each other.

Ddraig couldn't help but speak out loud at this.

 **[*chuckle* What a sweet young couple you are… Instead of chasing girls, you should pursue each other, instead…]** Ddraig joked.

""SHUT UP, DDRAIG! WE'RE NOT GAY!"" Issei and Matsuda exclaimed in unison.

Seriously, did Ddraig really have to disturb their moment of bromance?

They shook their heads, but continued hugging each other for the next half-an-hour. Cherishing what might be their last moment together until the foreseeable future.

It might take them an eternity until they meet again, but their friendship that they and Motohama established by their common love for boobs and porn from middle school was worth preserving…

What none in the cell knew was that the perverted trio staying together for a long time might actually become reality.

For outside the cell lurked a mysterious being that had been watching Matsuda and Issei with interest, as they hugged each other. That creature… whatever it was, only giggled as it looked on.

'Those two seem to be quite the perverts… I was right to focus on them… And with that Motohama fellow, they seem to be just the right candidates…' it thought, before it faded away.

Just like with Officer Ito, nobody noticed the creature's presence… except Ddraig…

 **[That scent… I know that kind of scent, but what was it again…]** he thought to himself. He didn't bother to say it out loud because he didn't want to disturb Matsuda and Motohama, who were still hugging each other.

 **[I don't know what it was, but I think you should prepare yourself for the next battle... Partner... no, perverted trio…]** Ddraig thought silently to himself.

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 9:50 am – Kuoh Police Prison on their way to Kuoh District Court_

After meeting and preparing with their lawyer Kashiwazaki on how they were going to proceed with their defense, they were brought to a police van that was supposed to take them to the District court.

It was gray and cloudy outside, as Issei and Matsuda stepped outside into the fresh air – for the first time in days…

'Man, I sure miss being outside, huh? I guess I better enjoy it since I won't be enjoying this for… I don't know how long they'll sentence me,' Issei thought to himself.

Issei and Matsuda were accompanied by their lawyer and several police officers, as they made their way to the van. Before they could enter, though…

"GUYS!" a voice shouted. Everybody turned to look who it was.

To everyone's surprise, they saw Motohama wearing bandages around his left shoulder and arm, being accompanied by several police officers. Motohama was waving his other arm happily towards his two buddies.

Issei and Matsuda were shocked to say the least. They moved their lips flabbergasted, as they tried to comprehend the situation.

What was Motohama doing here? Was he going to court together with them? Wasn't he supposed to be recovering?

All these questions buzzed through their head, as Matsuda approached them.

"What's the meaning of this lieutenant? Why is Todoriki-san here? He's supposed to be recuperating from his injuries," the superior officer asked the lieutenant (it was the same superior officer that was in charge of investigating the perverted trio's prison cell).

"Sir," one of the police officers accompanying Motohama addressed his superior officer. "The prisoner Todoriki claims that he recovered somewhat. He claims that the pain from his injuries suddenly felt like they were alleviated and insisted to come to the trial."

"And did you check up with the doctors? What do they say?" the superior officer asked suspiciously. He couldn't believe that somebody who just received a bullet wound through his shoulder yesterday could be all chipper today.

"Well, sir, they checked and although he still remains injured, the doctors say that they've given him the green light to leave his bed," the lieutenant replied.

The superior officer marveled as he looked at Motohama's arm, but decided to let him come.

"Alright, I'll inform the court room officials that he'll be coming. Bring him into the van along with the others," the superior officer ordered.

They did so, getting Issei, Matsuda, Motohama into the van, before closing the doors.

While the other policemen and the lawyer were getting into their vehicles, Issei looked at Motohama in wonder and asked: "Motohama, how did you recover so fast?"

Motohama shrugged before wincing from the pain on his shoulder wound.

"Who said I recovered…? Ugh…" Matsuda said with pain in his voice. "It still hurts… But not as much as before… For some reason, it hurt like hell yesterday and by the time I woke up the next morning, it faded away just enough for me to get up and walk".

Matsuda and Issei looked at him astounded, but their looks of astonishment turned into looks of happiness.

Motohama looked at them confused. "Uhh… what's with those smiles, guys?" he asked.

"Why? Because you're here… that's why," Matsuda answered.

"Yeah, we're all together again," Issei added.

Motohama just blushed, as he looked away embarrassed.

"Guys, please stop… You're embarrassing me… I mean, it's only been like yesterday since we've seen each other last…"

"Dude!" Issei exclaimed. "We didn't even know whether we would see each other again!"

"Yeah!" Matsuda joined in. "For all we know, we could be… you know… sentenced to different jail terms… or even be separated".

Motohama didn't know what to say. Now that he thought about it, those could have been real possibilities…

"But, guys," Motohama tried to cheer them up. "In the end, we don't know how severe they'll sentence us or even set us free. So, why get all worked up about that? Besides, don't we have Kashiwazaki-san to help us?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about him…" Issei commented. "We've only known him since yesterday, so we tend to forget him… Right…" Indeed. Lawyer Kashiwazaki was a professional lawyer with a long record of defending offenders their age, so probably he's going to cut some deal for them with the judges of some kind.

The van started to vibrate as it started its motor and started driving.

As the perverted trio tried to hold themselves on the inside of the van, the Boosted Gear appeared and Ddraig spoke to them.

 **[There is something off with that story you've told us, young Motohama]** Ddraig remarked.

Motohama frowned at that. "What do you mean? Are you accusing me of lying?"

 **[No, it's something about your relatively speedy recuperation that bothers me. You said that it hurt very badly yesterday and today it's much better, right?]** Ddraig asked.

"Yeah," Motohama replied. "Didn't I just say that? I mean, granted it still hurts a bit if I touch or move my shoulder, but other than that it's ok".

[And that's where it seems off] Ddraig answered, causing Issei and Matsuda to narrow their eyes in interest.

"Ddraig, what are you trying to say?" Issei asked curiously.

 **[I'm saying that it's impossible to recuperate this quickly from wounds such as your friend's. Normally, injuries like that take at more than three days to recuperate and even after that one must walk carefully to avoid the pain. Even your predecessors, Partner, needed more than one night to recover from injuries such as yours]** Ddraig explained.

The three of them (especially Motohama) looked at the Boosted Gear in shock. Yeah, come to think of it, Motohama's recovery was suspicious fast… But, there probably could be rational reasons for this…

"Say, Motohama," Matsuda asked his friend, getting Motohama's attention.

"It's just a theory, but did the doctors give you some kind of pain-killer to lessen the pain this morning?" Matsuda questioned.

"No," Motohama said, shaking his head. "And that's the funny thing: I asked the doctors the same thing and they said they didn't give me any pain-killers or anesthetics at all. In fact, they seemed rather surprised of my recovery themselves".

Issei and Matsuda widened their eyes in shock, staring at Motohama's injured shoulder in suspicion.

"That's impossible…" Issei said in disbelief. "If what Ddraig said was true, then… how on earth did you recover so quickly?"

Motohama just shrugged with his uninjured shoulder. He had no clue himself.

 **[Partner, something fishy is going on…]** Ddraig said, causing the perverted trio's attention to be on Ddraig once again.

"Fishy?" Issei questioned.

 **[Yes, since overnight recovery for a shoulder wound like this is impossible and the doctors didn't give your friend here any medications, then something… or someone else must have healed your friend in secret]** Ddraig declared.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… time out!" Matsuda exclaimed while making a T-sign with his hands. "You're telling us that someone healed Motohama?" Ddraig affirmed with a grunt.

"But, but… how? And why?" Motohama stuttered in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Someone healed him? How on earth…?

 **[I don't know… but the only thing I can say for now, is that something or someone with an ability to heal is responsible for this. Most likely, someone with supernatural healing abilities, no doubt]** Ddraig explained.

"Supernatural? Ddraig, are you sure?" Issei asked earnestly.

Supernatural beings were involved in this? Did they notice him? What would they have to gain by healing Motohama? Whatever the case, Issei didn't want to get into a fight anytime soon. They fought Officer Ito and they barely came out of it with their lives. What chance would they have with a supernatural opponent?

 **[Yes, Partner. I'm very sure. In fact, just yesterday I sensed someone just outside your cell. I'm not sure what it was, but whatever it was, it was watching you]** Ddraig replied.

"Ddraig…" Issei said with a deadpanned face.

 **[Yes, Partner?]** Ddraig asked.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Issei demanded. He was ticked off. Why didn't he tell them something this important?

 **[Sorry, ehehehe…]** Ddraig snickered. **[You two were having a cherished moment with each other, so I didn't want to disturb you].**

"That didn't prevent you from disturbing us that one time, did it!?" Matsuda exclaimed equally ticked off. Motohama just looked at his friends confused.

"…Cherished moment…?" Motohama asked with a sweatdrop.

""IT'S NOTHING! JUST FORGET ABOUT IT!"" Matsuda and Issei shouted in unison. Motohama flinched at that and asked no more about it.

"But anyway…" Issei said moving back to the topic. "You really have no idea who or what that thing was?"

 **[Unfortunately, not a clue. But whatever it was, it had its eyes on you or me. I presume that it has been watching us for quite some time now. I bet, it had or someone else related to that thing something to do with your friend's miraculous recovery]** Ddraig speculated.

The perverted trio were in deep thought about all these thing, until Motohama spoke up.

"Guys! I think I've got it!" he exclaimed.

"You do?" Matsuda asked hopefully.

"You know what that thing was?" Issei asked with excitement in his eyes.

"Actually… no…" Motohama replied shyly. Issei and Matsuda sagged their shoulders in disappointment. "But I think I know what it's trying to do…" At that, Matsuda's and Issei's eyes were lit up once again.

"Think about it: If this creature is the same creature that watched you and healed me, then that means that thing has our eyes on us three and Ddraig, right?" Motohama explained.

"Well that's true…" Issei reasoned.

"Sounds plausible…" Matsuda joined in.

"Therefore, if that really is the case, then judging by its actions, there is only one thing I'm sure of, of what it's trying to do," Motohama explained. Matsuda and Issei had their full attention on Motohama, awaiting his answer.

"The answer is simple: it wants us to go to court – together!"

Issei, Matsuda and even Ddraig frowned at that.

"Uhhh… what?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, why would something like that want us to go to court together?" Matsuda asked as well.

Motohama only pinched his nose in frustration. "Guys, if you really think about it makes sense. I got healed – ok, partially – by some supernatural means and you guys were being watched by a supernatural creature. Is that a coincidence? Somehow, I doubt it. So, logically it has its eyes on us. And why would that thing heal me anyway? Is it because of goodwill or is there perhaps an ulterior motive?"

Issei, Matsuda and Ddraig thought about it for a while before coming to the same conclusion.

 **[Hmmm, I presume something ulterior…]**

"Me too…"

"Me three…"

"Exactly," Motohama said with a smirk. Now, they were catching up. "So logically, what could a supernatural being with an ulterior motive possibly get from me being healed?"

Then it clicked.

[Of course, … You're right…] Ddraig realized.

"Now, I see how you got to your earlier conclusion," Matsuda said.

"It wants to get us to court together! Man, Motohama! I never thought of you as the detective type," Issei praised.

Motohama embarrassingly rubbed the back of his head with his good arm. "Oh, stop guys… you're embarrassing me…" he said.

"Yeah, but still…" Issei's face turned serious. "What benefit would it have if we were in court?"

 **[I don't know, Partner]** Ddraig surmised. **[But whatever it's planning, it's going to happen in court or right after it. Stay on your guard, you three. I have a feeling that you're going to face more than just a courtroom trial there].**

The perverted trio looked at each other in dread. A potential fight with a supernatural being was the last thing they wanted to have.

'Oh great… as though we didn't have enough on our plate…' Issei groaned inwardly.

Before anyone could groan some more, the van came to a halt.

Matsuda looked out from the darkened windows of the van.

"Guys, it looks like we're here…" he said nervously. After what Ddraig told them, he was less in a mood to go to court than ever.

"Whoa, look at that!" Motohama added, looking out of the window as well. "There are cameras and police officers all over the place!"

Issei gulped, before quickly dismissing the Boosted Gear. Media attention, too? Seriously, was the creator screwing around with him? Why did he have to do this?

Suddenly, the back doors opened and some policemen stood there ready to get them out.

"All right, the ride's over. It's time for you to get out," one of them said.

The three of them complied and got out.

There were journalists and bystanders of all kinds just waiting to take a picture or shoot a video with those three in it. Heck, Issei could only imagine the headlines: "High school students who battered girls brought to trial" or something like that.

They walked up the stairways of the grand Kuoh District Court. It was a big white building with big marble pillars and grand halls inside (kind of what the perverted trio expected to see in such a building, though it still fascinated them).

And so, they entered with Kashiwazaki-san joining them, as they nervously waited for their trial.

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 9:50 am – Courtroom no. 2, Kuoh District Court_

As everybody streamed in – court officials, journalists and participants all alike – the judge wearing a black robe took his seat and used his gavel.

"This court is now in session," he stated. "Issei Hyoudou, you have been charged of battery, causing grievous bodily harm and attempted manslaughter towards the accuser Karen Shinonon and Mikasa Ito who unfortunately can't be here because she is hospitalized at the moment…" There was whispering within the court, before the judge continued.

"…And Matsuda Hibiki and Motohama Todoriki, you two have been charged for sexual assault and inflicting harm on Mina Natsumiya…" Again, whispering broke out, but this time the judge silenced them with the sound of the gavel.

"QUIET!" he shouted. "The accusers may present their case."

Everybody in the court saw as the blond-haired Karen and her lawyer come to the pulpit. They were shocked to see that her head was covered in bandages and band-aids – an indicator of the brutality Issei put her through.

'Holy crap! I didn't know that I put her through this much damage… If I knew even half the extent of it, I would have thought twice before beating the crap out of her…' Issei thought in regret.

Karen gave her pre-written testimony. In it, she explained that she and her three friends were just minding their own business, when Issei just barged in all the sudden and started intentionally to beat Mikasa into a coma and beat her up as well. Shortly after that, his two friends joined in and hurt Mina.

What she didn't mention though, was Issei's reason for attacking them in the first place. She neglected to mention that she and her friends were making fun of Issei's parents' deaths, something that Issei and his friends noticed straight away.

'Manipulative b****' Issei cursed inwardly. 'She's lying out of her teeth'.

After she finished her testimony, her friend Mina came forward and held a testimony not too different from her friend's.

She, too, omitted Issei's fury of being mocked for his parents' death and instead held a more emotional speech on how Matsuda and Motohama were trying to rape her for no reason and how much of an enemy of women those three were to the entire academy.

'Getting emotional here to win over the audience, eh?' Motohama thought angrily, as he heard Mina's rant. Truly a classic way of winning people over to your cause.

As she finished her speech and went back to her seat, the judge spoke up saying:

"Now that the accusers have given their testimony, it is time for the defendants to give their accounts on what happened on that day".

There were whispers in the court once again as Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and lawyer Kashiwazaki came forward to give their testimony.

Unlike Mina and Karen, the three of them decided at their meetings to have Kashiwazaki-san speak for them.

"Your honor, my clients here acknowledge the severity of their crimes and are willing to undergo punishment or make restitution in order to make up for them. However, there are a few things about the accusers' testimonies that I would like to challenge on my clients' behalf." Whispering broke out into the room once more, before the judges' gavel silenced them once again.

"Go on…" the judge beckoned Kashiwazaki.

"Very well. First: Although my clients do not contest the charges against them, the accusers' testimonies neglect to mention Hyoudou-san's motive for committing these crimes in the first place, namely that the accusers and Ito-san provoked him by mocking his late parents' recent demise. And second: Although my clients have indeed behaved inappropriately towards girls in the past, that is not the issue for today's court session and shouldn't be," lawyer Kashiwazaki answered.

Murmuring broke out once again, this time one could hear expressions of astonishment, as they heard of Issei's parents' death. There seemed to be some sympathy in the room for Issei, but that didn't mean that they excused Issei for what he did to those girls.

"Order!" the judge shouted, as he hammered his gavel once again.

"We will take a half-an-hour break. After that, we shall resume at 11 o'clock sharp and begin cross-examinations, Court dismissed!" he announced.

Everybody got up from their seats and went out the door for the break.

The perverted trio and their lawyer also went their way with some police officers to a chamber next to the court room.

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 10:30 am – Side chamber of Courtroom no. 2, Kuoh District Court_

"I can't believe that those girls would lie this way!" Issei fumed.

"Yeah, as though we just attacked them for no good reason, just… because!" Matsuda added.

"Well, the accusers were trying to smear your reputation in the eyes of the judge to have you convicted, so what did you expect?" the professional lawyer asked.

"I don't know… something with more honesty perhaps…?" Issei asked.

Nobody answered the question, as everybody focused on the challenge up ahead.

"But now… there are cross-examinations waiting for you three. Now, what you need to know is that you might be asked by the accusing party's lawyer of many things relating to the case. The might be hostile to you, but do not worry. I will make sure that they won't overstep their boundaries. After all, badgering is not permitted," the lawyer instructed them.

"I've got a question, sir," Motohama said.

"What is it?" Kashiwazaki asked.

"If we are to be cross-examined, won't they be cross-examined as well?"

"Of course. Cross-examination goes for both parties. I myself will take part in it on your behalf. But whatever you do, make sure not to lose your cool in court. The opposing party can occasionally become very hostile, so be careful with whatever you say," he told them.

The three of them nodded half-heartedly. Now comes the hardest part of the court… and worst of all, none of them had seen any signs of the supernatural plotter behind the scenes.

'Ddraig?' Issei asked his partner mentally. 'Do you think that thing or whatever it is will strike anytime soon?'

 **[I don't know, Partner… I don't know… All we can do at the moment is wait and keep our eyes and ears open…]** Ddraig replied.

Issei sighed, as he wondered about this unknown stalker.

'Watching us… healing Motohama… bringing us here… just what are you up to?' Issei asked as he looked towards the court through the small window.

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 11:00 am – Courtroom no. 2, Kuoh District Court_

The court room filled with people again, before the judge hammered his gavel.

"Cross-examinations are now in session. The accusing party may now ask the questions regarding the witnesses," the judge said. Immediately, a female lawyer representing the accusers, wearing a gray pant-suit, stood up and began to speak.

"Thank you, your honor. We would like to call Issei Hyoudou to the stand," the accusing party's lawyer said.

Issei's hair stood up as he heard his name being called.

'Oh nuts… here goes…' he said nervously, as he made his way to the stand.

He would have admired the lawyer's figure (and she had good oppai, too!) if it wasn't for the situation. Instead he looked nervously in the lawyer's direction, as the lawyer looked at him with an impassive expression.

"Issei Hyoudou, is it true that your parents passed away just recently?" she asked.

Issei's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first question being asked? He did not expect that.

"Yes, ma'am. They… were killed last Monday… by a mugger. You… may have seen it in the news…" Issei stated trying to hold his emotions in (it still wasn't easy for Issei to talk about it). Once again murmuring broke out at what was being said, before the lawyer spoke again.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You have my condolences. But moving on, how long have you known my clients Mina Natsumiya and Karen Shinonon, in addition to their friend Mikasa Ito?"

"For less than a year…" Issei answered.

"Have you and your friends ever peeked at them while they were dressing?" she asked him next.

Issei frowned a bit at that, but answered anyway. "Maybe… It was more the girls from the school kendo-club than other girls, bu-".

"Answer the question: Have you or have you not peeked at them?" the lawyer interrupted Issei, much to his irritation.

He paused, took a deep breath and answered: "I probably did".

"And what about Natsumiya-san's testimony about your… unpopular status at school because of your repeated peeping offenses? Is what she said about it true?" the lawyer asked.

"Uhhh… yeah, they are," Issei answered truthfully.

"That would be all, Issei Hyoudou. Thank you very much," she stated before both of them returned to their seats.

'B****!' Issei cursed angrily as he sat back down. 'What's up with her? Why is she even talking about my peeping activities **and** my reputation at school?'

"Thank you very much. The defending party may now start their cross-examination," the judge announced.

Lawyer Kashiwazaki thanked the judge and asked Mina to be questioned.

She came forward and the following conversation took place:

"Natsumiya-san, as I have said before, you neglected to mention my client's motives for starting the fight. Why is that?"

"Umm… I forgot to mention it…"

"You forgot to mention it? I find that hard to believe. Surely, you must have been able to put two and two together, as to why Hyoudou-san lost his temper back then".

"Well… I…uh…I…"

"Though moving on. Why would you and your friends make fun of Hyoudou-san's parents' deaths anyway? Surely, you can't be this callous to take this seriously, right?"

"Well… umm… I"

"And another thing: Is it really true that you wished my client to suffer in the worst ways possible? I mean, sure he and his friends may be peeping-toms, but you have to admit that even they don't deserve such treatment, right?"

"Objection!" the female lawyer shouted. "She's not the one being accused of crimes of all kinds, your clients are!" Murmuring broke out at the lawyer's outburst.

"Silence!" the judge shouted, while hammering his gavel. He turned his gaze at the startled female lawyer.

"Might I remind you that during questionings, interruptions like this won't be tolerated. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your honor…" she said meekly.

"Well… it doesn't matter anyway," Kashiwazaki stated. "I was finished anyway" he said before walking back to the perverted trio, who were on the edge of their seat because of this judicial drama.

Before anything else could be said, one of the court officials came in and went up to the judge.

"What is it?" the judge whispered. The man whispered something in the judge's ear. Everybody focused hard on what the man was saying. It had to be something important.

As the man finished speaking, the judge spoke up.

"It seems like the main witness of this case has just arrived. She will give testimony, once she arrives".

Whispering broke out again, this time among the perverted trio as well.

"Hey, who do you think the judge is talking about?" Issei asked.

"I'm not sure, maybe it's someone from school," Motohama replied.

"But who on earth could it be?" Matsuda questioned, as he accidentally leaned on Motohama's injured shoulder.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch… Hey! Don't lean me! It still hurts!" Motohama shouted as quietly as possible.

After a few minutes, they got their answer when the doors swung open.

To their surprise, they saw none other than Souna Shitori herself!

But even more surprisingly, she was… wearing a magic girl costume underneath her red coat?

The white skirt, leg-warmers and Mary Janes were a dead give-away.

The court partially broke out in loud whispers and laughter, as Kuoh's student council president, blushed from embarrassment. Nonetheless, she steeled herself, as she walked towards the center of the court.

"Order!" the judge shouted, using his gavel once again. He turned his face to Souna.

"You are the main witness of the incident at your school last Monday?" the judge asked.

"Your honor, to be more specific, I represent all the students who were witnesses of that incident. My name is Souna Shitori and as their student council president, I am more than capable of filling this role".

"I see… But tell us, why on earth would a student council president come in wearing a… magic girl costume underneath their regular clothing?" the judge asked curiously.

Souna blushed at that. "Well… you see, your honor… I was trying to wear something more presentable… until my big sister came along and made me wear this…" she explained with a reddened face.

The judge only raised an eye-brow at that. "And why is that?"

"Well… she forced me to come along to a cosplay event… I tried to tell her that I had no time, but she made me do it anyway… By the time I was finished, it was nearly 11 o'clock and I had to rush here. I had no time to change!"

At that, the court broke out in laughter – including the judge.

The perverted trio and their lawyer also laughed at Souna's expense.

"Oh man… Her big sister… ahahaha…" Matsuda laughed.

"Yeah, hilarious, right...? Ehehehe…" Issei added.

"Wow…hohoho… I've never seen this side of her…" Motohama laughed holding his stomach.

"Ahhh… that poor girl…" Kashiwazaki sighed in a good mood.

"Ahahahaha…" the judge finished laughing as he used his gavel again to quiet the court. "As amusing as it was, we would like to continue. Now, Miss Shitori, if you would please begin".

Souna went to the stand and began to speak.

"Your honor, the students report that everything began about a few minutes past 8 am last Wednesday. The students say that Todoriki-san, Hibiki-san and Hyoudou-san came in too late for class for the second time this week, covered in bruises and bite-marks. They claimed that they ran away from aggressive dogs of some kind". Murmuring came from the spectators as they tried to see whether any of these injuries could even be seen.

"Aside from that, the teacher left the classroom to inform the student council about this demeanor and thus wasn't able to prevent the disorder that was to come. It turns out some of the students in class heard Natsumiya-san, Shinonon-san and Ito-san make fun of their injuries and expressed happiness at their suffering. It also turns out that they moved to make fun of Hyoudou-san's parents' deaths last Monday, who died from an ambush on the way back home. Hearing that, Hyoudou-san got up from his seat, walked over to Ito-san and attacked her. Students say he pulled her hair, tossed her to the ground, yanked her up and then punched her in the face, so that she fell head-first to the ground. She ended up in a coma even to this day." Gasps and winces of shock came through the hall, as they heard the graphic details of violence from Souna.

"After that, Hyoudou-san shoved Shinonon-san towards the wall, grabbed her throat and started punching her face repeatedly. It was then that the students in the classroom took action and tried to restrain him, as he reportedly struggled to break free. As a result, Shinonon-san fell down to the ground with a bloodied face – conscious, but with some ugly bruises". The people mumbled once again. Truly a violent incident… Yet, Souna continued to speak with an impassive face.

"Meanwhile, Hibiki-san and Todoriki-san got into a fight with Natsumiya-san. Students reported that Hibiki-san and Todoriki-san jumped on Natsumiya-san and twisted her breasts. They, too, were restrained as well by some of the other students". Grumbles of indignation came from the bystanders as some of them sent glares to the perverted trio, causing them to wince in response.

"Eventually, the class teacher and the principal came and broke up the fight and ordered them to wait for their punishment until further notice. Everybody, including the defendants complied. Shinonon-san, Natsumiya-san and Ito-san were given medical attention and thus the incident as we've recorded ends here, Thank you, your honor".

As soon as Souna finished giving the students' account, whispering broke out (as usual) once again.

Matsuda and Motohama on the other hand looked at the young woman with not a few perverted thoughts.

'Man, she looks sexy with that outfit… Too bad, we only get to see the lower half…Stupid coat…' Matsuda thought with his mouth dripping saliva in lust.

'No wonder she's one of the hottest girls in school! Her chest may be small, but the rest makes up for it…' Motohama thought with equally desires.

It seemed like none of them actually bothered to listen what she said (since they already knew the whole story, obviously) and focused more on their perverted fantasies.

Issei, however, was less concerned about her attractiveness (although it wasn't wrong to say that he found her hot) and more concerned about the fact that she was a devil. Yes, a real-life devil was standing in court! Issei's mind was filled with questions.

Does she have something like a true form? Surely, this wasn't what devils look like, right?

Does she have any special powers?

Is her sister a devil, too?

And was it just him (or everybody from school that matter) or is she hot **because** she is a devil?

'Perhaps, it's magic of some kind… Maybe, she's actually ugly…' Issei thought to himself.

But before he could ponder more about it, the judge spoke up.

"All right, then. Do the defending or the accusing parties have any questions to the witness?"

"Nay," the female lawyer replied.

"Likewise, nay," Kashiwazaki said.

"Good," the judge spoke up. "We'll take another break and reconvene at 12:15 pm. Until then, we will have decided our verdict," the judge announced. "Court dismissed," the gavel fell once again.

And so, the assembly got up and went to take their break.

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 12:05 pm – Side chamber of Courtroom no. 2, Kuoh District Court_

Issei was currently in the side chamber, sitting on one of the chairs. Matsuda, Motohama and their lawyer on the other hand were in one of the court bathrooms, accompanied by some of the guards. Issei noticed that his buddies were breathing in a… horny manner? Must be desperate to get to the bathroom for some reason, huh?

Anyway, Issei was conversing with Ddraig about devils in general.

"So, you're telling me that the devils claim Kuoh as their own?" Issei asked incredulously.

 **[Oh, yes. Devils are especially territorial, even though they have plenty of territory of their own in the underworld]** Ddraig explained.

"Then why come here, then?" Issei asked.

 **[The reason for doing so, is because Devils have a relatively low fertility rate and thus need humans to replenish their ranks. It's even more beneficial for them to recruit Sacred Gear users like yourself]** Ddraig answered.

"Replenish? You mean what you said before about recruiting?" Issei asked.

Ddraig nodded at that. **[Yes, they use something called 'Evil Pieces' to reincarnate humans in order to turn them into devils. These Evil pieces take on the form of chess pieces]**.

"Chess pieces?" Issei inquired.

 **[Yes, Partner. They use chess pieces like the kind you know in chess. Each of these pieces correspond or contribute to the value and abilities of the devil in question. For example, if you had to use a rook piece, your focus would be on physical strength]** Ddraig told Issei.

"And… what about the other pieces?" Issei wanted to know.

 **[The other pieces like the knight give you speed. Bishops give you heightened magical power. Queens are all-rounders. That means that their magic, physical and speed abilities are enhanced]** Ddraig answered.

"Cool! But wait, what about the king and the pawn?" Issei asked again.

 **[Well, pawns seem to be the weakest piece at first, but once they are 'promoted' by the king, then they can become any piece that they want, except the king of course]**.

"And let me guess: The king is the leader, right?" Issei guessed.

 **[You said it. The king is not only the leader, but also the master as well]**.

Issei was thoroughly impressed. The devils had such an interesting system. Why did nobody ever talk about that aspect of this?

Issei asked Ddraig about it, and Ddraig answered him.

 **[It's a new thing. They only introduced it only like the past hundred years or something like that. You have to ask the devils themselves].**

Issei went silent at that. Talk to them, huh? He figured like, this had to come one day…

He looked back at the days when he and his friends were summoned to Souna-kaichou for peeping. He still had a hard time getting over his head that she was a devil… That cold and strict girl… it was still hard to believe…

Issei wondered. Who else could be a devil? Come to think of it, Souna-kaichou is good friends with Akeno Himejima and Rias Gremory who also seem to have unearthly beauty just like her, no, maybe even more so than Souna-kaichou. It wouldn't be illogical if they were devils, too. On top of that, they were secretive, hardly letting anyone join the Occult Research Club except for a select few, like Yuuto Kiba (that bishounen prince!).

It certainly made sense if not only Gremory-sempai, Himejima-sempai and Shitori-sempai were devils, but the entire Occult Research Club and student council as well!

Issei shuddered. If that was true, then Ddraig wasn't wrong at all. Devils were controlling Kuoh Academy – maybe even the whole city! And to think that barely a week ago he didn't think they were real… Just the thought of it scared him. Devils with supernatural powers hiding right under their noses… How on earth could anyone ever miss that?

He had to tell Matsuda and Motohama…

As if on cue, they came back with Kashiwazaki-san and the guards right next to them. For some reason, they seemed to be a bit red-faced as if they were embarrassed about something.

Neither of them said a word, as they took a seat on the chairs right next to Issei. Issei wanted to speak with them about his findings, but since Kashiwazaki-san was in the room, he decided not to.

As soon as the guards left the chamber, Issei looked at his buddies and asked: "Guys, what's up? Why are your faces so red?"

The two of them looked at each other with embarrassed faces, as if deciding whether to tell Issei or not. They decided to do so in the end.

"Well… You see…" Motohama started explaining, though one could see his reluctance in doing so. "We had to…"

"You had to what?" Issei asked while raising an eyebrow. What was up with them? Did something happen while they were in the bathroom?

"Yeah… you see…" Matsuda also struggled to explain the reason. Clearly something embarrassing happened. Issei could see it and so could Ddraig.

"They were caught masturbating in the same bathroom together because there only was one functioning cabinet. Being the horny young men that they are, they decided unleash their horny desires simultaneously, before the guards caught them in their activities only five minutes afterwards. They were reprimanded for their activities and for wasting their time, only for me to step in and tell them that I had to use the bathroom as well. And I really had to go by the way…" Kashiwazaki explained to Issei with a neutral face, despite admitting having to go to the bathroom.

Matsuda, Motohama and Issei were in shock. The first two because of how blunt their lawyer was and Issei because of what he had just heard.

""KASHIWAZAKI-SAN! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?"" the embarrassed duo shouted.

"Guys, is all of this true?" Issei said incredulously. They fapped in the bathroom and got caught? Why on earth were they so horny?

"We couldn't help it…" Matsuda said crying comical tears.

"Shitori-kaichou was just too sexy…" Motohama said in tears as well.

Issei didn't know what to say. They got aroused with Souna-kaichou? Sure, she was hot and so… but really?

Then something just hit Issei.

Could it be because she was a devil? Devils do make people do all kinds of stuff that they would normally never do…

'I've got to be careful when I'm dealing with them…' Issei thought.

"Anyway…" Kashiwazaki-san spoke up, drawing the trio's attention to him. "The verdict is coming shortly. And to be honest, as things are standing right now, I don't think the judge will be this sympathetic to you".

The perverted trio were brought back to the situation at hand and forgot about their perverted embarrassment minutes before. Indeed, it was clear to them from the beginning that their guilt for beating up those girls was obvious. The witness testimonies of Shitori-kaichou and the accusers made clear of that.

Perhaps, they were naïve to believe that a lawyer would somehow turn a guilty-verdict into an acquittal…

"But one can reduce the sentence, right?" Motohama asked hopefully.

"Yes, but one needs to have served at least half the sentence and be noted for good behavior," the lawyer explained. "And judging from similar cases like this, they could sentence you at least ten years in prison…"

Ten years.

Those words hit the three of them like a wrecking ball.

They were supposed to sit in jail for ten years – five years, if they are lucky.

The gravity of the situation was deep. Going to prison and staying there… they couldn't imagine it.

"Guys…?" Matsuda asked fearfully. The other two, also fearful, responded with a nod.

"What if Kashiwazaki-san says is true? What if we never see each other again? Something like that…" Matsuda drifted off. But then, Issei looked him in the eyes. There still was worry in them, but something in it spoke of confidence, something that gave hope…

"Matsuda, I don't know what will happen, but whatever happens. I promise you, we will be together – forever," Issei said.

"But dude!" Motohama spoke up. "There's no guarantee that we'll ever be together again. I mean, they probably will put us in different cells in some kind of prison or something! How are we supposed to be toge-"

"Motohama!" Issei interrupted his friend. Motohama looked up to his friend and saw him raising his left arm, the one that the Boosted Gear was attached to. "We survived that onslaught from that police officer – together. A trained police officer like that should have killed us, but we didn't. We fought and we survived. It was a miracle that helped us back then, and there will be many more to come!" he declared triumphantly.

Issei's two friends looked at him. Of course, they **did** survive… How could they forget that? Besides, miracles were not in the realm of impossibilities anymore. The supernatural and everything that was in it existed, so why shouldn't a simple thing like them remaining together be impossible?

Matsuda and Motohama looked at their friend with warm smiles. Issei… surely, he was the one who shone a light in their darkest nights. They comforted him when he lost his parents… Now…

… it seems like Issei returned that favor.

Lawyer Kashiwazaki looked on with a smile on his face, as he witnessed Issei's morale boost. Surely, they were the best of friends… with unbreakable binds...

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 12:20 pm – Courtroom no. 2, Kuoh District Court_

The assembly gathered for the verdict. The defendants, the accusers and the judge took their seats.

Everybody was waiting nervously for the verdict – especially the defendants.

"Guys, this is it!" Issei whispered nervously.

"Yes, indeed…" Motohama replied quietly.

Then the judge hammered his gavel.

"Court is now in session. We have decided on the verdict," the judge announced. Excited whispering broke out in this noisy court, before the judge silenced them with his gavel once more.

"Will the defendants please rise," the judge told the perverted trio.

The three friends did so and stood up.

"We have considered all that we have heard from your lawyer…" the judge spoke.

'This is it! The moment we've been waiting for!' Issei thought trembling in fear.

"…as well as your accusers…"

'We're doomed!' Matsuda thought, his mind on edge.

"…the main witness…"

'Ten years prison… Here we come…' Motohama thought covered in sweat drops.

"…and all other evidences pertaining this case. And thus, we hereby declare you, Issei Hyoudou, and you, Matsuda Hibiki and Motohama Todoriki…"

Everybody held their breath as they waited for judge to say the verdict.

"…guilty of battery, causing grievous bodily harm, but acquitted of attempted manslaughter and guilty of sexual assault and inflicting harm respectively. You three are hereby sentenced to two years to a correctional facility!" the judge announced.

Everybody was in shock. They were sentenced for two years – and to a correctional facility, no less!

The judge explained his ruling.

"Crimes like these are unforgiveable and we've heard of the grief that the victims had to go through. We side with them completely…" Murmuring broke out in court once again, before the sound of the gavel had to silence them again.

"…However, given the circumstances of Issei Hyoudou's parents' tragic deaths and the fact that he and his friends have expressed remorse, it is best for them to go to a correctional facility to learn from their mistakes and strive to become better people. And for that, you three…" he turned to the perverted trio.

"…have been ordered to serve your sentence in Sakubasu Detention Facility together which is right on the outskirts of Kuoh. Court dimissed!" the judge hammered the gavel as murmurs of disbelief from the assembly and disappointment from the families of Ito, Natsumiya and Shinonon.

Issei, Motohama and Matsuda were led away by the guards, as they were bringing them back to the police van.

The three of them looked at each other, still shocked from the verdict. But that turned into happy laughs on the way out.

Issei was right. There were a lot more miracles to come. And may it only get better from here.

They were guilty, but they only had to serve two years! And in a correctional facility no less! It sounded too good to be true! No way could anybody get away this easily with what they did.

The perverted trio went happily as they were led to the van with police officers and journalists walking besides or behind them.

What none of them knew was that the sentence really **was** too good to be true.

And nobody noticed that Kashiwazaki-san snuck away and hid himself behind one of the marble pillars just outside the court.

As he watched the perverted trio get into the police van, a grin formed on his face.

"Everything is going according to plan… healing the glasses-kid, bringing all three of them to court, hypnotizing the judge during toilet-break to give them the perfect sentence… now all that's left, is to receive them. Their horniness is exactly the kind I want…" Kashiwazaki smirked, before slowly fading away.

"…in order to devour them!"

 **Wow, that was long!**

 **I can't believe it would take me this long to write this chapter!**

 **But boy, a lot of things happened here, right?**

 **Let's start off with the court sessions.**

 **Granted, I took a lot of the court's procedures from what I knew beforehand. It's nothing special, just common knowledge, I guess…**

 **I also tried my best not to drag it too long because it would become to bothersome and boring and I really would have been behind schedule.**

 **Then again, maybe I should post a chapter once every two weeks… it does take up a lot of time.**

 **Despite the chapter taking place in a courtroom I did manage to have some fun writing it, like with Souna and Issei's friends in the bathroom.**

 **Though now, at least we can move on with the next part of the saga.**

 **An unknown creature of some kind has been stalking the perverted trio for some time now. What was that? And what is its plan?**

 **Well, find out in the next chapter on The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Also, it won't be labeled "Comfort & Hurt" anymore. I've changed it to "Supernatural" instead.**

 **Before I end it here, a little sneak-peak of the devils of Kuoh.**

 _Occult Research Club, Kuoh Academy – 3:15 pm_

Souna Shitori was with her friend Rias Gremory, talking about the court case.

"They were sentenced to two years to a correctional facility?" Rias asked, sitting with her legs crossed on the sofa.

"Indeed, the judge called it Sakubasu Detention Facility. That's apparently where they are going to serve for the next two years," Souna replied. She was standing right next to her red-haired friend near the sofa.

"Sakubasu Detention Facility… I've never heard of such a name before…" Rias commented.

"Neither have I, but something doesn't feel right…" Souna said, while putting a hand on her chin.

Rias tilted her head. "What is?"

"It's the sentence… What those three did, warrantied a much stronger punishment and the Kuoh District Court is not so lenient when it comes to crimes like grievous bodily harm. Moreover…" Souna added. "…the judge in this trial is particularly strict when it comes to the law, sentencing even teenagers to at least five years prison".

Rias wrinkled her eyebrows at that. "So… what are you saying…?"

Souna adjusted her glasses. "I'm saying that something is wrong. Even more so, considering that there seems to be the scent of a supernatural being in that room."

"What do you think it could be?" Rias asked.

"I don't know," Souna replied. "But whatever it is, it seems to have its eyes on the perverted trio."

"Why on earth would it want someone like those three?" Rias asked again. She had a hard time believing that those three were worth pursuing.

"I don't know that either… But whatever it is, I'm going to find out," Souna replied before leaving the room.

"As truly as my name is Sona Sitri of the House of Sitri, I will get to the bottom of this…"

 **Read and Review.**

 **I hope to see you soon.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	8. Chapter 8 - The Detention Facility

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there! It's me, Hide Shinyama!**

 **Finally! We have the court scene and all that legal baggage behind us! Now we can move on to some adventures.**

 **Last time, the perverted trio was sentenced to serve two years in Sakabasu Detention Facility. However, a shady entity has been watching the three of them, as the wheels of its plan begin to turn.**

 **What on earth was that being? What's it planning? And will the perverted trio survive whatever it has in store for them?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 8 – The Detention Facility

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 1:25 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, right outside the Sakabasu Detention Facility_

The police van drove along the road inside the forest. It was autumn and the leaves on the trees were turning yellow and red. The weather was pleasant for an autumn day like this. The sun was shining; it was warm outside… quite like the mood of the perverted trio.

The reason for that is that even though the perverted trio were sentenced to two years to a detention facility, it still turned out better than anyone of them could have expected.

First: Their sentence could have been longer; And second: They could have been separated to different cells and perhaps never see each other again.

Thankfully, none of these things came to be. Now, they were going to be together for the next two years in Sakabasu Detention Facility. Granted, they had no idea what would await them there. In fact, it could be tough for them in the future, but together, Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig could do this.

Besides, other than being in that detention facility for the next two years, what could happen?

The van eventually approached its final destination, as it stopped before a seemingly one-story compound. It had a fence surrounding the building and a gate that opened automatically as the van stood before it. After it opened, the van drove in and the gates closed again.

Eventually, the van stopped and the driver came out to take the three convicts out of the van. While Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were taken out, a group of… four attractive young women in their twenties wearing business suits came to greet them.

The perverted trio's eyes almost bulged out in surprise at that, before quickly turning to lust.

"Ah, so these are the convicts, I presume," the leader of the four women said. She had a cool onee-sama vibe, the kind that popular girls like Rias Gremory have.

She wore a gray business sweater, showing some of her cleavage and a gray skirt with black leggings and high-heels. She had emerald green eyes, coral-brown hair, tied together in a ponytail with a white ribbon. Overall, she was rather sexy… something the perverted trio enjoyed to see. They couldn't wait to be introduced to them.

The other women next to her were dressed in similar fashion, but had different vibes.

The tall woman next to her long straight violet hair and light purple eyes. She wears purple barrettes on both sides of her head, positioned upon long strands of hair close to her bangs. She came of as mature and beautiful. What stood out the most about her was her big chest – one of the main aspects the perverted trio focused on. She just looked at the perverted trio and tried her best to make a smile for the new inmates, causing the perverted trio's hearts to skip a beat.

The young… girl on the other side of the leader, stood with her arms crossed. She had a tsundere vibe coming from her. She has straight pink hair and pink eyes. She also has a red bow-shaped hair clip at the right side of her bangs, and two red ribbons forming two small twin-tails. The rest of her hair is short and she has small bangs to the side of her face and small locks of hair on her forehead.

'The perfect tsundere,' Matsuda thought excitedly. The lolicon-lover looked at her with lecherous thoughts, something that seemingly creeped out the pink-haired warden.

The last detention facility warden had sky-blue eyes, coral pink hair, cut short and slightly curled at the ends, with a red bow on the left side of her head. She stood there with a happy smile, one that beamed with cuteness, liveliness and optimism. The perverted trio could feel the radiance of her person just engulfing them, as they admired her.

Even the police van driver couldn't help but be enamored by the young women's' appearances. Nevertheless, he managed to regain his composure as he answered the main warden's questions.

"Indeed, they are," the van driver responded. "Since I've done my job, I should take my leave."

"Oh no, we insist. Please, come in. I'm sure you must be tired coming all the way here…" she said with a somewhat seductive tone. The man blushed at that and looked down with reddened cheeks.

"Oh well… I guess it can't be helped," he said clearly flustered by the young woman in front of her. The perverted trio had already started to drool from their mouths and whisper amongst each other.

"I'm starting to like it here," Motohama panted quietly.

"Me too, ehehehe…" Matsuda chuckled in excitement.

"The cleavage… the oppai… it's almost too much to handle…" Issei whispered, as his brain was being overloaded from his horniness.

"Please…" the purple-haired woman said. "…follow us."

Everyone did so. They went into the building and came to the reception hall, which consisted of a stall and a room with a 5x5 meter length and width. It had a counter that had a computer and some cupboards containing books and files.

While the purple-haired woman offered to make the police officer some tea – something that he gladly accepted, the perverted trio were called to the reception. The three remaining women went behind it and looked through the cupboard, presumably looking for some kind of files or documents.

"So, you're the new inmates, huh?" the brown-haired woman asked after taking a seat behind the reception.

"Y-y-yeah," Issei stuttered at the presence of the attractive woman. "M-my name is Issei Hyoudou. I-I-I'm 15 years old and we've been sentenced to two years here. Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am," Issei spoke, to which Matsuda and Motohama only nodded nervously.

The brown-haired woman giggled at his attempt to be polite. "There's no need to be so formal. Calling me ma'am really makes me feel old, you know."

At that, the perverted trio relaxed a bit. Good, it seemed like the woman was a nice person and not the strict, unforgiving, brutal woman they were expecting.

"But let's continue. And you two are?" the woman spoke to Matsuda and Motohama with a smile on her face.

"Uhhh… I'm Matsuda Hibiki… 15 years old, too," Matsuda replied a bit nervously.

"And I'm Motohama Todoriki… 15 years old, pleased to meet you," Motohama added just as nervous.

"Issei…Matsuda… and Motohama…" the brown-haired woman repeated to herself while looking at the new inmates. "I like them. I'll keep those names in mind," she said with a smile, while tilting her head slightly.

The perverted trio made a dreamy perverted smile in response to the woman's sweet words. This was a dream come true… Pretty women for two years in prison… The gods must be in a good mood because this couldn't be called a prison sentence. This was paradise. They only wished they could have been sentenced for life…

While the perverted trio was daydreaming, the other two prison wardens took out some documents and gave it to their superior. She thanked them, took them and placed them on the counter.

"Please fill out these forms and give them to me once you're done," the brown-haired woman spoke causing the perverted trio to wake up from their daydreaming.

The female warden only giggled in amusement at that and gestured to the documents on the counter. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama nodded excitedly and eagerly took them. Matsuda and Motohama went to the sofa ten meters away from the reception. Issei was the last to take his papers when the woman spoke to him.

"Wait, Issei," the brown-haired woman said causing Issei to turn around and face her. He was a bit flustered after she called him out by name. That needed some getting used to.

"You're going to need these," she said and gave him some fountain pens.

"Thank you," Issei responded with a nervous smile. "Thank you very much, Miss…"

"Oh, sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Monique," the woman known as Monique introduced herself.

"Monique…" Issei said hoping to get her surname.

"Just Monique," she replied. Issei did find it strange that she didn't say her first name. But he decided if she wanted to go along with them on a first name basis, then why not?

"Thank you, Monique," Issei thanked, as he made his way to the sofa where his two friends were seated.

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 1:56 pm – In the hallway of Sakabasu Detention Facility_

After the perverted trio filled in their forms, Monique eventually led them around the facility. On the way, she explained the curriculum that they were going to deal with during their stay for the next two years.

"Now, since you are still high school students, you will undergo through classes from 8 am till 3 pm with common subjects like Modern Japanese, English, Mathematics, History, and Biology and many more. Once every week every afternoon, you will undergo assessment training in order to determine your future career path. It's possible that we may conduct career training, if you have found the career you've wanted. Of course, there are a limited number of jobs, we can offer you training right now, since we specialize in jobs involving a computer," Monique explained. The perverted trio listened with some astonishment, as they heard that they could use computers in this facility.

"After 5 pm, you have all the time for yourselves. You are not allowed to leave the facility, however. By 10 pm, you must all be asleep. Any questions?" Monique asked.

Matsuda raised his hand. "Ummm… Miss Monique? Are there any breaks?"

"Yeah," Issei added. "What about breakfast and lunch? When are those?"

"Of course there are. We wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself non-stop now would we?" Monique said with a smile on her face. "Breakfast will be at 7:30 am in the lunch hall. There will be breaks after every double period. The first and second breaks will take fifteen minutes each, while the third break will take 30 minutes. That's when you'll be eating lunch. Dinner is at 7 pm, please don't be late. Attendance is mandatory, so you can't skip it unless you're sick. Nathalie is the one making lunch and dinner, so we would be glad if you appreciate her hard work." The perverted trio looked at her in confusion.

"Nathalie?" Motohama questioned Monique. At that, Monique made a small laugh.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce her to you. Nathalie, or Nat as we like to call her, is the short one with the pink hair. I should have introduced them to you back there… sorry," Monique apologized embarrassed.

After that explanation, the perverted trio remembered her and started to fawn at the memory of her cuteness. She was doing the cooking? This was getting better and better. Hopefully, the food tastes good. Their mouth was drooling as they thought of what food might be served. After all, they were hungry and they had not eaten since this morning.

"Hehehe…" Monique giggled upon seeing their reactions. "You must be hungry, right? Well, don't worry. We've been told you haven't eaten, so we've prepared something once our little tour is over."

"""Thanks, Miss Monique…""" the perverted trio thanked her with sparkling eyes.

"Monique is just fine," Monique said, followed by a friendly smile.

The hearts of the perverted trio were melting. Her smile was one of the best things, they have ever gotten from a girl – maybe even more than boobs, though they probably would dispute that.

'So hot…' Issei thought in his mind. 'I hope she doesn't have a boyfriend.'

'Her oppai… her hair… her outfit… her voice… her smile… it's too good to be true…' Motohama lusted.

'I'm in heaven… if I knew that detention facilities had this many hot women, then I would have become a criminal a long time ago…' Matsuda fantasized.

Clearly, the perverted trio were in love with Monique, something that Monique either didn't notice or mind.

"Now, that that's out of the way, are there any more questions?" Monique asked.

Issei raised his hand eagerly. "So… about this career training program, what on earth could we be learning?"

"Well, there are all kinds of jobs we can provide you theoretical training with… like office administration or IT or media design… we even offer cooking classes, too, if you want. If you wish to move to do professions that are more mechanical, like plumbing or engineering… I'm afraid to say that because we lack the necessary equipment or training, we… can't provide train you in those particular fields," Monique answered, her smiling face turning a bit more serious. She really didn't want to disappoint them.

Thankfully, the perverted trio showed a lot of understanding towards her.

"Hey, no problem… Monique…" Issei comforted her, still finding it weird to call someone who he just met by her first name – with no honorifics, too.

"Yeah, to be honest, I don't think anyone of us is cut out for mechanical jobs anyway," Matsuda added with a toothy grin.

"Yeah, we're just thankful to be in a facility with someone as nice you," Motohama added with a smile.

Monique blushed at first, but then her blush turned into a sweet smile. "Thank you, boys. You're so sweet. Ehehe…" At that, the perverted trio felt like they were going to explode from joy. They actually got along with a girl! That was a milestone for losing their virginity, even though she was an adult and a prison warden no less.

"So, do you have any more questions?" Monique asked. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama shook their heads.

"Good," Monique said. "Since none of you have questions, it's about time I showed you around."

Monique went and the perverted trio followed her, as she led them around to show them the classrooms, the lunch hall and the gym hall. If there was one thing one could say about the perverted trio, it had to be their radiating excitement and happiness. They never would have thought that they could ever find happiness inside a jail, let alone more than outside one.

However, here they were, following this gorgeous smart woman around the detention facility. There was sense of excitement as Issei, Matsuda and Motohama walked around talking about what a great time they were going to have.

Yet, Ddraig (being the experienced Heavenly Dragon Emperor that he is) couldn't help but feel… unsure about all of this. For a detention facility, it was bright and optimistic… **too** much for his liking. He had no evidence, but something about this facility didn't feel right. The question is… What was it?

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 2:02 pm – dorms of the Sakabasu Detention Facility_

After the perverted trio had seen the facility, Monique finally led them to their room. Unlike the Kuoh Police Prison cells, this room actually seemed… better. There were green and blue curtains near the windows, the floor was carpeted (unlike the stone-cold floor of their former cell), and inside the bathroom, there was a shower **and** a bathtub and most importantly…

"Guys, there are enough beds for all of us!" Issei exclaimed. Matsuda and Motohama looked and indeed, it was so. Instead of a bunk bed for two people, there were three separate beds for each of them.

All three of them shared high-fives and laughed as they celebrated the end of the torment of sleeping on the same bed with each other. Monique couldn't help but giggle at their celebration.

"Yes! We can finally sleep separately!" Motohama celebrated. "No more bed sharing! The days of being raped while sleeping are over!"

"Umm…" Matsuda said with a blush on his face. "… I think 'raped' is a bit extreme, don't you think?"

Motohama turned to glare at his friend. "Shut up! You, out of all people, are the last person to tell me that!" Motohama told him sternly causing Matsuda to flinch.

Looking to defuse the situation, Monique spoke up, saying: "Umm… boys?"

Matsuda and Motohama stopped fighting and looked at Monique.

"Instead of fighting about your previous nights in jail, you should be looking forward to sleeping in your new bed, right?" she reasoned. The perverted trio looked at her, but decided to follow her advice.

"Yeah, I you're right…" Motohama agreed.

"Yeah, me too…" Matsuda added, being glad that they could on from this embarrassing issue.

"Yeah, at least we've got some nice beds," Issei said, before feeling one of the beds and its sleeping accessories. "Whoa, these beds are better than those in prison!" Issei remarked.

"Indeed," Monique added. "The quality of the bedsheets, blankets and pillows is very high. We make sure to provide our residents with the best sleeping equipment. Even the bed itself is of way higher quality than those bunk beds from prison."

"Yeah, she's right! These beds are way more comfortable!" Issei said while partially flopping down on the bed with his torso (not his whole body, he was still wearing shoes).

Monique giggled at that, as she welcomed Issei's appreciation for the beds. "There, you see?" Monique said. "High quality and sufficient in number. No more unintentional humping with other bed-mates," the perverted trio only nodded appreciatively at that.

"Well, I have to get going," Monique said, while going out the door. "Lunch will be ready in about ten minutes, so please be down at the lunch hall by then."

After she closed the door behind them, the perverted trio were left alone in their room.

They didn't do or say anything for a few seconds before Matsuda and Motohama went to their beds and flopped down on them with their upper bodies just like Issei did. Before long, they started to talk about their feelings for this place.

"This place is so amazing! I wish they could have sentenced me for life! I want to remain here forever!" Matsuda exclaimed happily.

"Monique… Monique… haahaaah… She's so sexy…" Motohama panted. He could barely keep himself together after being together with Monique for so long.

"Not only Monique, guys, but the other girls, too! Did you see the purple-haired girl's oppai?" Issei asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely fapping material for tonight!" Motohama replied, as he hugged his bed as if it was his girlfriend.

"That pink-haired girl Nathalie was especially cute. I think she's a tsundere and the ideal lolicon character… My life is complete!" Matsuda said overjoyed.

 **[Umm… People…?]** Ddraig spoke up, manifesting the gauntlet on Issei's left arm.

Issei sighed in annoyance of being interrupted by Ddraig. "What is it, Ddraig? Can't you see we're having the time of our lives here?"

 **[I don't like to disturb you, but something feels wrong…]** Ddraig said.

"Wrong?" Motohama said. "What on earth do you mean?"

 **[I don't know… something about this place just… doesn't feel right… It feels like it's too good to be true…]** Ddraig replied.

Issei frowned at that. What does he mean by too good to be true? It was more like a paradise come true. Besides, what proof did Ddraig have anyway?

"Ddraig… do you have any evidence for that?" Issei inquired.

 **[Like I said. I'm not sure what it is, but whatever it is, it has to do with this facility. So, please be on your guards]** Ddraig said, before the Boosted Gear disappeared from Issei's arm once again.

"Seriously," Matsuda remarked. "That dragon really spoiled the mood. Can't he just give it a break?"

"Yeah, does he always have to be talking about some supernatural creature, lurking in the shadows, just waiting to pounce on us? I mean, he said that on our way to trial and we didn't see any supernatural creatures," Motohama reasoned.

Issei nodded at that, but was smart enough not to discard Ddraig's warnings. "Guys, I wouldn't be so dismissive. After all," Issei said, looking at Motohama. "Your shoulder wound healed up better than it should have, which logically means someone used supernatural means to heal you."

"Well, true," Motohama admitted, feeling his still bandaged shoulder. It still hurt a bit, but it would only be a matter of time till the bandages could be removed. "But that still doesn't change the fact that whatever it was, it didn't attack us, whatsoever. And so, my point stands, we didn't see any supernatural beings at all."

"That's not true actually," Issei revealed to his two friends. Matsuda and Motohama only raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" Matsuda asked intrigued.

"I'm saying that we did see a supernatural being – a devil no less – during our trial," Issei explained.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei in shock, before Matsuda went over to Issei on his bed and grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"What!? And you couldn't tell us sooner? Who was it? And how did you find it out?" Matsuda demanded.

"Hey! Let go of me, man!" Issei said while removing his friend's hands of his shoulders.

"Sorry… But anyway, who was it?" Matsuda asked, having calmed down.

"Well, it was Shitori-kaichou. Ddraig sensed her aura and revealed her identity to me," Issei answered.

"Shitori-kaichou…" Motohama mumbled in shock.

"A devil… all this time… right under our noses…" Matsuda mumbled as well.

Issei sighed. He could understand their feelings. It was pretty hard to imagine that supernatural creatures like them existed right next to them. It's just like those anime, where the protagonist gets involved into their affairs, goes into all kinds of adventures with them and ends up getting a harem.

Now, that he thought of it, how would it have been for him, if he had been recruited into their ranks? Would he have been forced to work as a servant? The thought shuddered him. But who knows? Maybe he would have ended up in a light novel situation, like the generic harem-king protagonist.

'Me being together with Souna-kaichou… ehehehe… not a bad idea…' Issei fantasized in his head.

"Hey, Issei!" Matsuda called out. Issei was taken out of his daydreams and turned his face towards Matsuda.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Do you have any idea, if there were other devils in school or something?" Matsuda asked.

Issei thought for a while until he remembered what Ddraig told him.

"Yeah, he told me that the student council also had devils in them," Issei replied.

"WHAT!?" Matsuda screamed, while standing up.

"SERIOUSLY!?" Motohama bellowed, causing Issei to flinch.

"Well… that's what Ddraig told me…" Issei tried to explain.

"Dude," Motohama spoke up. "But that would mean all of Kuoh Academy is under their control!"

"What are their plans, Issei? Do they plan to enslave the school? The country? The world?" Matsuda asked frantically.

"Calm down, guys!" Issei demanded, causing them to calm down and sit back down, Motohama on his own bed and Matsuda right next to Issei.

"Look, I don't know what their plans are. Whatever they are doing, they haven't done any harm to anyone in the academy or Kuoh… yet," Issei explained calmly. "But right now, that being, or whatever it is, is the one that has been watching us. We don't know what it is, but it probably isn't a devil, otherwise Ddraig would have noticed it. In the meantime, we should take Ddraig's advice and stay on our guard at all times. Got it?"

Issei looked his two friends straight in the eyes. They thought about what Issei said, before they nodded in agreement with him.

"All right, I see what you're getting at. But… seriously. I wish you could have told us all these things sooner," Matsuda told Issei, who chuckled in response.

"Sorry, guys… I just couldn't find the right time to tell you guys, that's all…" Issei admitted.

"I do have one question, though," Motohama spoke up. "Why did Shitori-kaichou come to trial to testify? What do the devils gain from all this?"

Issei was taken back a bit from Motohama's question. Why did she come to trial to testify on behalf of all the students during the incident? Before he could answer him, Matsuda answered the question.

"Well… My guess is that even though Souna-kaichou is still a devil, she is still the student council president… in the end, a student council president takes care of her students, right?" Matsuda asked, while looking at Issei and Motohama, who nodded in agreement.

"So… if what Issei said about Kuoh Academy students not being harmed by the devils is true, then we can only presume that they're just doing what any normal student council president should be doing. Nothing sinister or with an ulterior motive… just Souna-kaichou doing her job, that's all."

Motohama and Issei took in all the words that their friend had spoken. That's right… In the end the devils were just blending in as humans, so why would Souna-kaichou have an ulterior motive for testifying on everyone's behalf? Just because she was a devil, doesn't mean that everything they do is for some kind of devil agenda.

Therefore, they reasoned, what if the devils weren't so bad, after all? What if they had only been misunderstood and demonized for no good reason?

Before they could think about it, the purple-haired facility warden came in, causing them to turn their attention on her (and stare at her chest a bit).

"Umm… Lunch is ready…" she said shyly, while fidgeting a bit.

The perverted trio just looked at each other, before they remembered that they had forgotten all about lunch.

"Yeah, yeah… we're coming," Issei said with a blush. The others nodded and got up to go.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding us, Miss…" Motohama asked, wanting to know the name of the hot babe before them.

The purple-haired woman smiled shyly, before replying. "My name is Julie. Nice to meet you," she said, causing the perverted trio to go gaga.

'I'm going to need to fap after I'm done eating," Issei thought lecherously.

'Sweet mama! Her oppai are huge!' Motohama thought in lust.

'I hope I lose my virginity to her. She's too good to be true," Matsuda fantasized.

Julie went on ahead, as the perverted trio followed her to the lunch hall.

Indeed, the three of them were going to have a lot of interaction with the four women in this facility. More than they could possibly imagine…

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 2:20 pm – lunch hall of the Sakabasu Detention Facility_

The perverted trio sat in the lunch hall at the long table, eagerly awaiting their food – and the seeing the facility wardens of course. The cutlery and plates were already on the table, all that was missing was the food.

They just couldn't wait. They hadn't eaten all day and their tummies were growling.

Being horny at the same time wasn't helping either.

They waited for Julie who excused herself to tend to matters in the kitchen, and her colleagues, who they had all yet to meet.

Oh boy, oh boy! They still couldn't believe it! They were going to spend two years of their lives with these hot chicks, being watched and tutored by them no less! They just couldn't wait. They just wanted to eat them and meet someth- Err… they meant meet them and eat something.

As if on cue…

"We're here! Sorry for the wait!" Monique announced, coming out of the hall that was connected to the kitchen.

The perverted trio looked and saw what they wanted.

Monique and the other three women wearing kitchen gloves and carrying the food out.

Monique seemed to be carrying a casserole with cheese, noodles and some meat in it. She carried it to the table and put it down. The scent of the casserole was intoxicating. They just couldn't wait to dig in. But they still had to wait because all that wasn't all there was.

Julie brought in a medium-sized pot with sauce in it, presumably as an addition to the casserole.

The pink-haired girl called Nathalie or Nat for short, carried a big bowl of vegetables with carrots, peas and corn.

And the coral-pink haired woman brought in what looked like… a stack of pancakes on a plate!? Were they really in prison!?

"I'll be right back" the coral-pink haired woman said. "I have to get the vanilla sauce and clean up some of the mess in the kitchen, teehee…" she giggled, as she left for the kitchen again.

"You can start without me!" she called out from the kitchen. The perverted trio only sat there dumbfounded at the pancakes that the last girl brought in. Eventually, they cried comical and manly tears of joy.

"This is the best! Pancakes!" Issei exclaimed with joy.

"Glad you like it," Monique said. "Please, dig in everyone," she encouraged everyone.

All the participants nodded and began to help themselves to the food.

"""Ittadakimasu!""" the perverted trio said, as they helped themselves to the casserole.

While they were taking their respective pieces of casserole, Monique spoke up, saying: "So, now that we're here, I think it's time we all introduce ourselves properly. Right, girls?" she said looking at the other two women.

The two attractive women nodded, as Julie cleared her throat before speaking.

"Hi…" she started shyly. "As you may know, my name is Julie… I'm 22 years old and I am going to watch over you for the next two years… I like reading… I'm not so good at talking… or anything… so please… bear with me…"

The perverted trio only blushed and nodded in understanding. She might be shy, but her shy behavior and good looks sure won a lot of points in their books (and fantasies).

The pink-haired girl, just gave toothy smile, as she introduced herself next.

"Hi, I'm Nathalie, but everyone here calls me Nat for short. I'm 19 years old, I like collecting manga, baking and just like Julie, I am going to be your guardian for the next two years…" it was then that she noticed the trio's red faces and slightly turned her head away in embarrassment and folded her arms like a typical tsundere.

"…But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, ok? If you do anything funny… or… anything stupid here, then I won't hesitate to punish you boys!" she said while pouting.

'Tsundere, she's a real tsundere…' Motohama thought happily.

'Yeah, this is the best! I've always wanted to meet a cute tsundere like that!' Issei thought gladly.

'Ehehehe…' Matsuda only made a lecherous grin, as he thought of how good she would be in bed.

"Hey, what are you grinning like that you creep?!" Nathalie demanded of Matsuda, as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table, causing him and his buddies to flinch.

"All right… calm down Nathalie. They are healthy young men, so you have to go easy on them, ok?" Monique said calmly in order to calm down Nathalie. It worked, as she sat back down and pouted, turning her head away. The perverted trio calmed down as well, as the coral-haired girl came in.

"Sorry, it took longer than I expected, but I'm here now," she said, wiping the sweat of her brow.

"No problem. We were just introducing ourselves," Monique told her colleague, as she sat down next to her. Monique took control of the situation.

"Anyway, as you already know, I'm Monik- I mean, Monique," she quickly corrected. The perverted trio only raised an eyebrow as to how anybody could mispronounce her name, but didn't pay much mind to it.

"My hobbies are reading and exercising. I'm 23 years old and I am the chief warden of Sakabasu facility. Our goal here is to rehabilitate young offenders like yourself and prepare you with the best education and principles possible to prepare you for the outside world. Together with my colleagues here…" Monique gestured at her three colleagues, who nodded in response. "…We will make sure that your rehabilitation will be more than successful."

"Thank you, Monique!" Issei said, taking over the introduction.

"I'm Issei Hyoudou, 15 years old. And I also like to train, just like Monique here. Other than that, me and my buds like…" he said nervously, while he looked at his two buddies, who in turn also seemed nervous of saying it at the presence of these girls.

"You like porn, right?" Monique said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, taking the perverted trio aback.

"How did you know!?" Motohama asked incredulously.

"Well, your records tell us that you're called 'the perverted trio' right?"

The perverted trio sweated a bit, but then nodded, since she knew the truth anyway.

"We've also heard of some of the charges regarding you two," Monique said, looking at Matsuda and Motohama with a smile. "So… we're not surprised."

The trio just sighed in relief. Oh well, at least the elephant was out of the room. But there was something that bothered Issei since coming here.

"You know, I have to say this. For a detention facility it does seem… different from what we were expecting…" Issei remarked. Monique, however, maintained her friendly expression.

"Yes, I do have to admit, our facility is not your normal facility. I bet you had in mind that we would be strict and drill you into discipline, have you undergone all kind of hard, laborious work and living in squalid conditions, am I right?" The perverted trio nodded at that. Of course, what were they supposed to expect? They were supposed to be punished, not pampered, right?

"Well, as I've said before, our goal is to rehabilitate you and prepare you with the best treatment possible to enter the outside world. What good is rehabilitation, if we were to treat you like animals at worst or at best soldiers in the military? That won't prepare you for today's society, right?" Monique asked the perverted trio. They, of course, nodded eagerly. What she said certainly made sense…

"We want to lead you by example, not by fear, threats or drills," Monique continued. "Of course, as Nathalie mentioned before, we will administrate discipline if you misbehave. This is a detention facility, after all. And as with all facilities, you won't be allowed to leave the grounds, of course. But I do hope you will try your best to behave, right?" Monique said with a sweet smile.

"S-sure…" Matsuda stuttered.

"No problem…" Issei added.

"Yeah, of course. No way we would want to ruin your hard work," Motohama said with a smile.

Monique giggled a bit. "Teehee… Thanks, boys. I really appreciate it. Now, let's…"

"Hold on!" the coral-haired warden interrupted Monique, startling her and everyone at the table.

"I haven't even introduced myself to our inmates yet, Monique!" she said with a pout.

Monique looked at her with some confusion, before she widened her eyes in realization.

"Oh yes! I almost forgot about your introduction. Sorry about that…" Monique apologized, letting her colleague go ahead.

"Ehem…" she started, as she turned her face towards the perverted trio. "Hi there. My name is Sally. I'm 20 years old and I like to draw. I'll also look after you in the facility, so please be nice. Ehehe…" she said cutely.

As with the other three female wardens, the perverted trio were also fascinated with her.

'She's kinda cute…Not as much lolicon material as Nathalie, but she also would do…' Matsuda thought lecherously.

'Kawaii!' Motohama shouted in his mind.

'H-h-her oppai…' Issei thought while looking at her chest. 'I bet they're still growing… ehehe…'

"Anyway, now that we're done. Let's dig in. It would be a shame to let the food go to waste here. After that, Matsuda, Motohama and Issei will help Nat here to wash the dishes," Monique said.

Nobody disagreed, especially the horny and hungry perverted trio, who didn't mind washing dishes, as long as they were with one of the girls.

And so, they enjoyed their lunch to their hearts delight. The perverted trio enjoyed their lunch, just as much as they enjoyed the presence of these four ladies…

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 3:40 pm – Sakabasu Detention Facility, in the room of the perverted trio_

The perverted trio had just finished… doing stuff in the bathroom. It took them some time for them to act out their fantasies one by one, but it was worth it (they didn't want to do their perversions with the others looking).

They were talking ambitiously on how they were going to begin their conquest to win over the hearts of the hot prison wardens and talking about their assets and what kind of clothes and underwear would look good on them.

Monique, Nathalie, Julie and Sally… They must be the hottest prison wardens out there! They just couldn't wait to spend more time with them.

For the next two years they were going to with them… This was a dream come true…

Who knows what would happen? Would the three of them get to know them better? What kind of bond will they form with their new wardens? And most importantly: Would they fall in love with each other?

If so, then there was a chance that they would finally lose their virginity? Granted, they had yet to find out whether they were single, but they were optimistic, so they weren't ruling anything out.

And thus, the Issei, Matsuda and Motohama would spend what would be the time of their lives with Monique, Nathalie, Julie and Sally… and maybe even learn some things from them.

What none of them knew was that the things were going to learn would change them forever, never leaving them the same way they were before…

Lurking in the shadows was a figure, just licking its lips, as it looked at the perverted trio.

'Finally… it won't be long until I can finally begin…ahahahaha…' it laughed before disappearing.

* * *

 **Phew… finally done… Thanks for telling about the line function by the way.  
**

 **I'm sorry for the… slight delay…**

 **I was thinking on how to continue the story.**

 **It took me some time to consider the concept of how the detention facility would work and what kind of characters would be in it (and I was kind of busy playing some video games, too).**

 **Anyway, I've made it and now that I have it's time to talk a bit about the chapter.**

 **It seems like the typical anime trope… Hot girls, instead of… you know… men… and in prison no less.**

 **It sounds like the perverted trio finally meet some girls that they would possibly end up with. But will they succeed is another question.**

 **In the meantime, the three of them are going to learn some vocational skills like office administration or cooking.**

 **I figured correctional facilities would provide their inmates with skills like these, since their main goal is to rehabilitate them and reintegrate them into society.**

 **Of course, I have no idea on what kind of skills they teach so I had to improvise a little with my own experiences of going to a special kind of education institute – which was rather pleasant by the way.**

 **In it, I also learned some cooking and office administration skills, in addition to catching up to some school subjects (sort of, it wasn't much). On top of that, I also lived away from home, coming back only every second weekend… but that's a story for another time.**

 **The mystery villain Kashiwazaki has yet to appear. Who or what is he? And what does he plan to do with the perverted trio in this facility? For that we have yet to wait till at least the chapter after the next.**

 **As for those hoping for some action, I apologize. I was hoping to give them some actions scenes, but the way this story is going, I plan to build up bonds with the girls and the perverted trio, before I bring in some more action. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll do it in the next chapter, but no guarantees.**

 **I hope to see you in the next chapter. Until then, please rate and review.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	9. Chapter 9 – Assessment Training

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there! It's me, Hide Shinyama!**

 **Last time, the perverted trio arrived in the Sakabasu Detention Facility. On arrival, they met four attractive wardens: Sally, Nathalie, Julie and Monique, the leader.**

 **Together, the perverted trio fall head over heels for these young women as they seemingly bewitch them with their charm. On top of that, they were going to spend two whole years with them!**

 **What's going to happen?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 9 – Assessment Training

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 8:25 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, dorm room of Sakabasu Detention Facility_

After the delicious dinner that the perverted trio enjoyed (Nathalie really did a good job at making the rice and goulash!), it was getting dark, as Issei and Matsuda waited for Motohama to finish showering. It took them a while, since Motohama still had his bandages on his arm and shoulder. Granted, he was right-handed, but it still took some time for him to get used to using one arm.

In the meantime, Issei and was exercising once again, doing push-ups, sit-ups and frog-leaps. Neither of them had much time to train since a lot of things happened today. Mothama's recovery, court, being sentenced to this facility, meeting all the pretty wardens here… all these things almost Issei forget about his training. Luckily, he did remember and now he was all sweaty.

Matsuda also trained a bit, but tired out before Issei.

As a result, they were both sweating and needed a bath as soon as possible.

Eventually, Motohama came out all squeaky-clean with a smile on his face.

"Ahhh… I feel refreshed! If only I didn't have these bandages, everything would be perfect!" Motohama said pleased.

"Speaking of which, does it still hurt?" Matsuda asked curiously. Motohama nodded his head at that.

"Well, it does hurt a bit, but if I'm careful, I can avoid it," he answered, while glancing at his still injured shoulder.

"Yeah… it's a miracle that you're still alive," Issei remarked. "I mean, that shot could have killed you – even more so if the person shooting truly meant to do it!" Matsuda and Motohama shuddered at the mere memory of that incident.

"Yeah, that was close…" Matsuda said seriously. "I mean, the guy was aiming at me. If it wasn't for Motohama… I… well…" he wavered, as he looked at his injured friend. "I shouldn't have stood there like a dummy… I'm sorry, man…"

"Don't sweat it man," Motohama said dismissively, causing Issei to chuckle at the irony of his words. "At least, you're all ok! I mean, if something happened to you…," he said a bit seriously. "I don't think I could live with the guilt of doing nothing…"

Matsuda just stood there for a while as he took Motohama's words in. Then, he chuckled, as he said, "Thanks, man… Thanks for being my friend…"

They just stood there smiling at each other. Imaginary sparkles manifested around them, as they looked at each other. Then they moved closer for a hug…

 **[Now, kiss!]** Ddraig said in jest, causing the perverted trio to back off.

""SHUT UP, YOU STUPID LIZARD!"" they shouted in unison, looking towards Issei's direction, who in turn almost tumbled backwards in surprise.

"Guys! Stop it!" Issei protested.

"Sorry, man!" Motohama apologized. "We weren't saying that to you, but that dumbass dragon of yours."

"Yeah," Matsuda added. "This is the second time he has done something like this and it's getting annoying!"

 **[Hmph!]** Ddraig snorted in response. Seriously, they really couldn't take a joke! And calling him a lizard, too? What an insult!

"Anyway," Issei spoke up after recovering from his shock. "Who's going to wash up next?" he said, looking at Matsuda.

Matsuda looked back in return and made his decision. "I'll be next. I'm covered in sweat and I really need to shower," he said, as he entered the bathroom and shut the door.

And so, Issei and Motohama spent their time talking about what a great time, they were going to have at Sakabasu Detention Facility until it was Issei's turn to wash.

* * *

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 11:51 pm – in the same dorm room_

After… pleasuring themselves to sleep (seriously, these people really are perverted!), all three of them were sleeping while moaning their favorite woman (or women) in the facility in their sleep.

"Ehehehe… Nathalie… I can't take it any more… please… let me do you…" Matsuda mumbled with a stupid grin on his face.

"Julie… your boobs are so soft…" Motohama mumbled happily, as he rubbed his face into his pillow.

"Monique… Monique…!" Issei moaned quietly in his sleep, while gyrating his hips against the mattress. He was so enthralled with her, since she came into his life. Her hair, her clothes, her boobs, her voice, her eyes, her beautiful smile… everything about her was perfect…

He couldn't just stop thinking and dreaming about her, as he lusted after her in his sleep.

* * *

 _In Issei's dreams_

In Issei's mind, he and Monique were having the best sex ever… doing it multiple times over. Now, they were exhausted and rested next to each other on the bed.

They were at what seemed like a beach. It was warm and the sun was setting, giving it a romantic atmosphere. Nobody was at the beach, just Monique and him on the bed that for some reason was on a beach in the middle of nowhere. The sea itself was calm and shimmering in the sunshine. Small waves were rolling up onto the beach, as Issei and Monique had finished making love.

"Issei…" Monique cooed, being completely naked.

"Monique…" Issei said in lust, as he tried to kiss her once again. To his misfortune, however…

"Monique!" Issei called out in surprise, as she disappeared, her body fading away right in front of him.

Issei looked around. He found that the sun had disappeared, leaving Issei in the dark. As if that wasn't enough, the calm and gentle sea became dark and threatening, as if something ominous could come out anytime soon. The warmth had also disappeared, so Issei had to put his clothes and shoes back on.

As soon as he finished putting them on, the waves started to grow in intensity, as waves started to hit the bed he was on.

Issei didn't waste any time. He got off the bed and started running on the soft sand. Issei made his way towards the dunes, as he felt his fear rising every second. The waves were growing stronger and were already sweeping over Issei's and Monique's love-bed, threatening to carry it into the sea. It would only be a matter of time, until it did so.

However, Issei payed no heed. He was more focused on getting away from this place and find Monique.

"MONIQUE! MONIQUE! WHERE ARE YOU!" he shouted as he ran, as no reply came.

He came to the dunes and immediately went to higher ground. By the time, he arrived at the top of the one-meter high dune; the wave had reached the foot of the dune.

As if that wasn't bad enough the sky up above was growing ominously cloudy, as though a thunderstorm was brewing.

Suddenly, two tentacles just grabbed his legs from the below.

"What! What the heck is this!?" Issei panicked, as he tried to kick and wriggle himself free, but to no avail, as the tentacles moved further up his legs, wrapping themselves even more and started to pull him towards the sea.

Issei summoned his Boosted Gear, as it appeared in a flash.

 **[Boost!]** the Sacred Gear rang, as Issei's strength doubled. Using his strength, started to pry the tentacles of his legs using his arms, but the tentacles fought back, trying to wrap itself around his arms as well.

 **[Boost!]** it rang again. Issei tore at the tentacles as hard as he could, severing the tentacles in a bloody mess and allowing Issei to run again. Unfortunately, …

[IKAKAKAKAKAKAAA!] a terrible voice sounded from the ocean.

To Issei's horror, a kraken emerged from the sea and focused his attention towards Issei.

It sent more of its tentacles towards Issei, as he began to panic. What could he do? He couldn't deal with these many tentacles all at once! Was this the end?

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig called out, temporarily taking Issei's attention towards him.

 **[Don't panic! With my powers, beating this kind of thing is easy! It's time, I taught you a new technique. Focus all your energy and being into the Boosted Gear and then release it into the direction that you want it to go!]** Ddraig advised. Issei nodded.

Jumping back from some of the tentacles trying to swipe him, he ran on top of one of the dunes, where the tentacles couldn't reach him and where he could still target the kraken.

Issei calmed down, as he focused his energy into the gauntlet and pointed it at the kraken.

"Focus…" Issei said with gritted teeth, as the Boost continued.

 **[Boost!]** the gauntlet rang. The kraken wasn't lazy, as it sent more tentacles.

Issei was starting to create an orb with his hands, as big as a pea.

 **[Boost!]** it rang again.

The tentacles came closer, but Issei, though scared, remained focused, as the orb grew to the size of a dingle-ball.

 **[Explosion!]** the Boosted Gear sounded. This particular sound was something that Issei was familiar with, by the way. His training experience in prison with Ddraig told him that all his stored power would be released for a short period of time.

As the tentacles were within arm's reach, the orb had grown bigger than a baseball, but smaller than a volleyball.

 **[Now!]** Ddraig shouted. Issei fired and the powerful red beam hit the kraken.

[IKAAAAAAA!] it screamed, as it was blown into smithereens.

 **[Reset!]** the Boosted Gear announced, as Issei's power level returned back to normal. He fell exhausted to the ground, as he dismissed the Boosted Gear, causing it to vanish once again.

He panted on the ground, as he heard some familiar voices coming from somewhere.

"Issei! Issei!" the voices called out to him. It sounded like… the voices of Matsuda and Motohama. Why were they calling him?

As he stood there in wonder, the sky opened up and a light shone, illuminating his sight and taking him up. He rose up until he reached the source of the light.

* * *

"Issei! Issei!" the Matsuda called, as both he and Motohama were trying to rustle him awake. Issei woke up startled, as he saw what his two buddies were doing.

"Guys! What are you doing?" Issei asked in surprise.

"What are we doing? What were **you** doing!?" they asked back in a harsh tone.

"W-what are you talking about?" Issei asked confused. That only caused them to facepalm, before explaining.

"Dude! We were just sleeping until we heard some kind of loud blast coming from inside this room! When we woke out, we not only saw the window was broken next to you…" they pointed towards the window just across the end of Issei's bed, which looked like it had been blown up or something like that. "…But we also saw that whatever that blast was, it came from your Boosted Gear!" they exclaimed, much to Issei's shock.

So the shot he used in his dream, he used in real life, too!

'Mental note,' Issei thought to himself. 'Be careful of using the Boosted Gear in your dreams at all times.'

While Matsuda and Motohama were still in the middle of interrogating Issei, the door swung open, revealing an angry Nathalie, wearing pink pajamas with hearts. Matsuda blushed a bit happily because she looked really cute in them.

"Ok, spill it! What were you guys-" she stopped her aggressive speech when she saw the broken window.

"GAAAH!" she screamed, causing the perverted trio to close their ears. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!?" she shouted, as she pointed at the window.

"W-w-we didn't do anything! We swear! We were just as shocked as you are-" they explained, but were interrupted by the entrance of Monique, Julie and Sally who also wore pajamas.

"Are you all right? What happened here?" Sally asked worried. Monique and Julie looked no less worried, as they looked at the boys and the broken window. They were glad that their three inmates were all right, but were shocked to see the damaged window. It looked like someone fired some kind of laser cannon at the window.

"Boys…" Monique said a bit seriously. "Could you explain what happened here?" she asked while turning her face towards the boys with a serious expression.

The boys were sweating bullets. This wasn't going to be good… They themselves (except Issei) didn't know the reason why all of this happened, so explaining this was definitely going to be difficult.

* * *

 _A few hours later_

The perverted trio were trying to sleep – despite the broken window in their room. After being chewed out by the wardens, it was decided that the culprit couldn't be found, but that despite the verdict, they still suspected the perverted trio to be at fault in some way. As a result, they were told to remain in their rooms and try their best to get some sleep. The repairmen would come tomorrow and fix the damage.

Thankfully, for Issei, none of his friends told them about Ddraig or the Boosted Gear. All they told the young women was that they were sleeping quietly until they heard a bang and discovered that the window had been destroyed. Monique and the others were a bit skeptical about their claims, but decided not to pursue the matter and left.

Nevertheless, the perverted trio did question Issei about what happened.

Issei told them about his dream (as embarrassing as it is to talk about having dream-sex with Monique) and his battle with the kraken.

 _Flashback_

" _A kraken? Seriously?" Matsuda asked with a raised eyebrow. Issei nodded in response._

" _Yeah, I used the Boosted Gear to take it down. Ddraig told me to boost and charge my power and then unleash it. I did. I killed that thing… and apparently the Boosted Gear manifested itself in the real world and I fired it… sorry guys…" Issei said apologetically. Motohama just shook his head in shock and disbelief._

" _Dude! You could have killed us!" Motohama scolded Issei._

" _Yeah, you should really be careful about dreaming and using it at the same time, man!" Matsuda added as well. Issei didn't say anything. They were all still in shock about what had transpired. None of them said a word until Matsuda spoke up once again._

" _Say," Mastuda began, gaining Issei's and Motohama's attention. "What was that beam anyway?"_

 _Suddenly, the Boosted Gear appeared on his arm, causing everyone to flinch back a few steps out of shock._

 _ **[That beam is called Dragon Shot. It's a basic energy beam that fires from the palm of the Boosted Gear to obliterate its foes. I told Partner to use it to do exactly that, but I didn't realize that he would actually shoot it in real life]**_ _Ddraig answered._

 _The perverted trio looked at Ddraig in the Boosted Gear with widened eyes._

" _WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Matsuda shouted._

" _YEAH, YOU NEED TO TONE DOWN ON THAT ARTILLERY OR YOU MIGHT KILL US!" Motohama screamed._

" _S-sorry, guys…" Issei apologized sheepishly. Seriously, he had a nightmare and now this! All he just wanted to do was to go to sleep._

 _ **[But while you're here. There's something that I need to talk to you about]**_ _Ddraig told the perverted trio._

 _The three of them looked at the Boosted Gear with interest._

" _Well, what is it?" Issei asked._

 _ **[It's something about your entire sleep, Partner]**_ _Ddraig explained._ _ **[I could not help but feel something was off.]**_

" _What do you mean, Ddraig?" Issei asked intrigued._

" _Yeah, is it another one of your premonitions again?" Matsuda asked Ddraig._

 _ **[Indeed]**_ _Ddraig confirmed._ _ **[I felt like someone or something was trying to interfere with your dreams.]**_

 _Issei's face showed shock at Ddraig's explanation. Interfering with his dreams? Is that why he had that nightmare?_

" _Ddraig, how can you be so sure?" Motohama asked the Crimson Dragon Emperor._

 _ **[I just do, young one]**_ _Ddraig explained._ _ **[Anyway, whatever has been doing this to you, Partner, wasn't merely just interfering into your dreams. I felt like your energy was being absorbed as well.]**_

 _All three of them were taken aback at what Ddraig just told them._

" _A-absorbed?" Issei asked incredulously._

" _Are you serious?" Matsuda asked._

 _ **[Unfortunately, I am. Partner, I think our enemy has finally made his move. I feel like he's trying to take advantage of you in your sleep. All of you must be vigilant throughout the night. Inform each other about any irregularities. Be on guard with everything that happens in this place. I get the feeling that whatever that creature was, it is right at home here]**_ _Ddraig instructed the perverted trio._

 _Flashback end_

The perverted trio just lay there as they mulled over what Ddraig had told them. Of course! This place was too good to be true. Their mystery opponent was striking from the shadows and they didn't who or what that thing was, let alone where it was.

'But the question is…' Matsuda started.

'…when is it going…' Motohama continued mentally.

'…to strike again?' Issei finished, as the three of them went to sleep, the cold autumn wind blowing outside and into the house.

* * *

 _9_ _th_ _September, Sunday, about 8:15 am – Classroom 102, Sakabasu Detention Facility_

After eating breakfast (which the perverted trio had to eat alone, since the four women had other things to do early in the morning, much to their disappointment) the perverted trio sat in classroom 101 at the first row.

The classroom looked just like any other classroom out there with chairs, wooden desks, a teacher's desk, a chalkboard and some windows with a nice view outside. Ironically, this is what made this classroom so out of place, since one wouldn't be able to guess that one was in a detention facility and not a school.

The reason why the perverted trio were sitting in the classroom was that the wardens were going to have some one-on-one assessment sessions with them. They could hardly wait, since they always thought these women were hot and now they could finally get some time alone together.

They had to wait until Monique arrived, since she would be the one telling them who is paired with whom.

Eventually she did arrive, wearing the kind low-heeled shoes, black knee socks, a brown pleated knee-length skirt and a white short-sleeved button-up shirt that outlined her well-shaped body. Her appearance wasn't lost on the perverted trio as they lusted after her.

'Oppai…' Issei moaned in his head in happiness.

'I can't wait to spend every with her like this…' Matsuda thought with lust in his head.

'Must… fap… later…' Motohama thought perversely, trying his best not to exactly that.

"Good morning, boys!" Monique greeted the horny boys with a smile, as they straightened themselves up in response.

"""Good morning, Monique! You look good today!""" the perverted trio said in unison.

Monique only giggled in response.

"Thanks, boys. You're all so sweet…" she replied. At that, the ears of those horny fellows began to steam from her sweet smile and sexy appearance.

"""Thank you, ma'am!""" they answered happily. Their virginity was definitely going to disappear faster than before they were in prison.

"Sorry for not joining you at breakfast. We had some other things to do…" Monique said, apologizing for the delay.

The perverted trio just shook their heads happily and flustered.

"N-no problem, ma'am… I mean, Monique," Matsuda said. "After all, someone like you probably has a hard time keeping things together around here, ehehe…" he said flustered.

"Why thanks, Matsuda," Monique replied happily. "Anyway, now that I'm here, I think it's time to begin," she announced, while taking a seat at the teacher's desk.

The perverted trio perked up at that, waiting for Monique's instructions.

"As you know," Monique began. "We're going to have some one-on-one assessment talks with the three of you. We're going to talk about your likes, hobbies, strengths, talents and career choices… get to know you a bit, so we can coach you better. In addition, you'll also get to learn a bit more about us, so I hope you'll use this opportunity to open up to us, right?" Monique asked while tilting her head to the side cutely.

[DOKI!]

Their hearts skipped a beat at her cute gesture. How on earth is it possible to be cool, sexy and cute!? They didn't know how Monique does it, they just knew that she did...

"""Yes, Monique!""" they announced with a salute, as soldiers would when their commanding officers would speak with them.

"Good… Now, before we start, I want you to fill out these questionnaires," Monique instructed while getting up and taking some paper sheets. She walked over to them and distributed the questionnaires.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama, being the perverts that they are, focused not on the paper sheets given to them, but on Monique's hot physique.

'Boobs…' Issei thought, while staring at her chest.

'Legs…' Matsuda fantasized as he stared at her legs covered by her knee-socks.

'Her… everything!' Motohama almost went crazy as she came near him. He managed to resist groping her. There was no way he was going to do something like that on someone this nice towards them – much less if she's the prison warden!

After Monique finished distributing the questionnaires and went back to her desk, she couldn't help but notice that the perverted trio were just sitting there with dreamy faces, as they just stared at her.

"Umm, boys…" she started, but the perverted trio were just stuck in their own world, as they still had their goofy drooling grins. She snapped her fingers, causing the perverted trio to wake up.

"Umm, w-w-what?" Issei asked startled, as he woke up from his sexy daydream.

"Excuse me. What did you say, ma'am?" Matsuda asked in similar fashion.

"Yeah… We're sorry… we didn't hear you… Could you say it again?" Motohama asked in the same manner as his other two friends.

Monique only giggled at how silly those three boys acted.

"Oh, it's nothing, boys… All I wanted to say is that you may begin answering those questions. You've got thirty minutes, teehee…" she replied. The boys only nodded in embarrassment, as they began to write. Although, they put effort into answering those questions (and one could say their answers were sufficient), their minds clearly weren't quite into dealing with the task at hand.

Instead, their minds were still distracted by Monique's sexy body, smile and beauty. They just couldn't help it. They were horny guys after all.

Hopefully, each of the perverted trio thought, they would be the one to end up with Monique and not the other two.

* * *

 _At 8:45 am_

"All right, time is up!" Monique announced. "It's time to hand over your papers."

The perverted trio put down their pens, went over to Monique and handed her their questionnaires. After taking them, Monique put them on the desk and took out three blue cards.

"Good, now that we're done, I want each one of you to take one of these cards," she said, holding them out with their left hand. The perverted trio looked at her confused.

"Umm… What are they for?" Issei asked, while scratching his head.

"This is for deciding which one of my colleagues is going to assess you. You either end up with Sally, Nathalie or Julie, teehee," she giggled. The perverted trio looked at each other in excitement. Finally, here it is! The moment they were all waiting for – the one-on-one conversations with the girls! This was going to be so great!

But wait something was off…

"Umm… Miss Monique…" Motohama raised his good arm.

"Monique is fine, Motohama," Monique told him.

"Ahh… yeah… Monique… Anyway, what about you? Why is your name not on the cards?" he asked. Issei and Matsuda looked at their friend, then at the cards in shock. She wasn't going to be with them?

"Ahh… that… I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have some other things to do, so the other three have to conduct the interviews instead. Ahaha…" she laughed with a sweat drop rolling down her face. The perverted trio's mood dropped and so did their posture.

"But don't worry," she continued quickly. "I'm sure, you're going to have a great time with the other girls. They're great people once you get to know them."

At that, the perverted trio's mood lifted just a little…

Ok… so they weren't going to have some one-on-one time with Monique… But the other girls weren't so bad either.

"All right," Matsuda spoke up, feeling all chipper again. "I'm first."

"Be my guest," Monique replied.

After pulling his card, his two buddies pulled their cards as well. And so, they got their respective girl. All they needed to do next (according to Monique) was wait for the interviewers to read their questionnaires and Monique would tell them to go in to their designated rooms. At 10:30 am, they were to return to the classroom and discuss the results of their interviews with Monique.

* * *

 _At 9:02 am – with Matsuda in the hallway_

Matsuda did as he was instructed. He went to the designated room 107 and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a voice said, coming from within the classroom. Matsuda did so and was greeted with the sight of the pink-haired warden Nathalie, sitting on a desk, while reading a Toraemon manga. Much to Matsuda's surprise, she was didn't even look up, when Matsuda came in. Instead, she was so focused on reading her manga that it seemed like she didn't even notice him.

Matsuda motioned his hand to get her attention.

"Umm… Nathalie-san?" Matsuda said, causing Nathalie to shut her book.

"I could hear you clearly," she said slightly annoyed. "I was just finishing my Toraemon-manga, that's all!"

Matsuda sighed. He liked lolicon-type girls, including tsunderes, but to actually deal with one in real life, was a bit tiring.

Nathalie took out the Matsuda's questionnaire that Monique had handed her, before clearing her throat.

"So," Nathalie started, as she looked at Matsuda's paper. "You wrote here that you were in a photography club in middle school... and want to become a photographer… correct?" she asked while looking at him.

"Yeah," Matsuda confirmed. "I always liked taking pictures of various things. I like applying what I learned about… you know… angles, sharpness, contrast, color… and so on… and do my best to take the best pictures I can wherever I find them…" he explained trying to convince her of his alleged passion, when really, he was only into photography, so he could take pictures of hot models and porn-stars.

Nathalie nodded as she listened to Matsuda's explanations.

"Do tell me something, though…" Nathalie said. Matsuda paid attention at what Nathalie was going to ask.

"…Why did you quit?" Nathalie simply asked.

"What do you mean?" Matsuda asked back.

"I mean… why did you leave the photography club? Surely, if you love photography, as much as you claim you do, you would have continued to be in the photography club, right?" she asked in suspicion with furrowed eyebrows.

"Well…" Matsuda tried to explain. "I found other hobbies…"

"And could you explain..." Nathalie continued, as she took out a file and read from it. "…Why you, a former jock and track athlete, decided to quit your hobbies at the **same** time no less?" she said in an interrogating manner.

Matsuda was shocked, when he saw the file in Nathalie's hands. For he could tell by the name on the file that that was his file! Wait a minute, where did she get all that information about him from anyway?

"Umm… Where did-"

"I got all your data and records from Kuoh Police Prison and your former school, in case you were asking," Nathalie answered the surprised ex-jock. "I know all about your perverted antiques that you've committed at school – your peeping, your lewd remarks your fetishes… **and** your lolicon fetish, by the way," Nathalie said sternly, laying it thick on poor Matsuda.

'Boy, she's scary as hell…' Matsuda thought with a sweat drop.

"Look here," Nathalie looked at Matsuda with her face softening up a bit, while folding her arms around her chest. "Even though I know all this about you, I still want to help you…"

Matsuda looked at her in surprise. He was expecting her to go on an all-out rant on him. Instead, she seemed to go soft on him. After all, wasn't she supposed to be a tsundere?

"…I mean," Nathalie continued, while looking away a bit. "I'm a warden here for a reason. My job here is to help you overcome your past and move towards the future… That is why…" she looked back at Matsuda. "…if you want…I can give you a head-start for your career in the field of photography…"

Matsuda was shocked at what the tiny warden was saying. She was going to help him with his way into the future? Her out of all people? Did she even have the qualifications to teach him? Could it even work?

Nathalie noticed the shocked look on his face.

"What? Don't think I have what it takes? I may be a professional prison warden and work in the kitchen most of the time, but I'm also a qualified photographer and media designer," she explained with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Well… it's just… umm… I…" Matsuda mumbled incoherently, clearly having no idea what to say, let alone actually say it. Nevertheless, Nathalie seemed patient, as she waited for an answer.

After ten seconds, Matsuda regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"Well… Miss Nathalie… if what you say is true, could I take up on your offer?" Matsuda said nervously. He didn't like his past perverted activities being found out by Nathalie, but if she was willing to give him a second chance, then why not? Besides, while he did have an interest in becoming a photographer just to take pictures of hot models, he felt that if he could learn media design alongside with photography, then it's two for the price of one.

Nathalie just grinned, as she started explaining what photography is and what media design involved. She also talked about the curriculum that she had in mind for Matsuda for the next two years. They also talked a bit about drawing, which in turn led to a discussion of manga (it turns out, they both liked magical girl manga).

While the two of them conversed, Matsuda looked at the tsundere prison facility warden with great interest… no, with fascination.

Sure, she was his favorite type of girl appearance-wise with her short figure and pink-hair (that was set in stone for him, the moment he saw her). But, now he got to see something far better than her cute appearance.

It was her desire to help people no matter who they were – the desire to give people like him a second chance at life. In addition, Nathalie was a great person. She was a good teacher, patient, tolerant and even shared similar interests with him.

'Thank the gods and all luck-bringing supernatural beings!' Matsuda thanked with comical tears in his eyes, as he looked upwards. 'I'm going to have the time of my life here! I'm so glad!'

And so, Nathalie and Matsuda spent their allotted time, until Matsuda had to go back to class.

Nathalie… What a girl… Who knows how their relationship will progress… Maybe something more could come out of it… He just couldn't wait for their next session together…

* * *

 _9: 02 am – with Motohama in the hallway_

Similar to his buddy Matsuda, he too was sent to another classroom. He scanned the signs for the classroom he was looking for, namely room 104.

Eventually, Motohama found it. Using his good arm, he opened it. To Motohama's surprise, it was a computer room, with a number of computers and desks and chairs. In it, he found the purple-haired Julie, sitting quietly on one of the chairs, while reading a book. Similar to Nathalie, she seemingly didn't notice her prisoner approach her.

"Uh… Hi, Miss Julie…" Motohama said shyly. Julie didn't seem to react, as she read her book intently.

"Umm… Miss Julie?" Motohama said again to get her attention. She turned her face calmly towards Motohama.

"I can hear you, Motohama…" she said calmly. "I can hear you just fine…"

"Sorry… Miss Julie… I thought you couldn't hear me, that's all…" Motohama apologized, before looking at the book in hands.

"What are you reading, Miss Julie?" Motohama asked curiously.

"Oh, this? This is a horror novel… nothing special… and Motohama?" Julie asked, causing the glasses-wearing pervert to nod in response. "Just call me Julie," she replied with a small smile.

Motohama's heart skipped a beat. Big boobs… Long beautiful hair… her gentle smile… she was so perfect…

"Anyway…" Julie spoke up, causing Motohama to wake up from his daydreams. "Now that you're here… I think it's time to talk about your questionnaire…" she said, while she laid aside her book and took up Motohama's paper.

"Oh, yeah… yeah…" Motohama replied with some embarrassment. "I almost forgot about that…"

"So, let's start with your career choices," Julie started, as she looked at Motohama's answers. "It says you wanted to do something in the realm of physiology... Is that right?"

"That's right," Motohama replied. "I'm good in biology and I realized that there were a lot of fields I could end up with. I decided to pick physiology, since… you know… it deals with biology… and deals with the human body… which I find interesting by the way…" he spoke hesitantly, since just like Matsuda, he too just wanted to have a job that involved checking out women's bodies with his so-called "three sizes scouter" (if he was lucky to get a hot babe as a patient).

"I see…" Julie replied, while playing a bit with her hair. "How good are your biology grades?" she asked.

"Oh, they're good enough," Motohama answered truthfully. "My grades in chemistry and physics aren't bad either."

Julie only nodded at that. She took down notes, as she sat there, thinking about what to ask Motohama next.

"So, do you have any specific idea on what you want to do?" Julie asked.

Motohama thought for a while, but just shrugged his good shoulder, making sure not do the same with his bad one.

"I don't know… There are quite a lot of different jobs out there… I guess… I guess I would like to work as a doctor of some kind… but that requires years of medical school… I think…?" Motohama replied, as he fumbled to look for an answer. Julie could tell that her prisoner/student had no idea of what he wanted to be.

"Well, then it's good that you're here," Julie spoke up, as she started moved the mouse of the computer she was currently sitting at and started typing. Matsuda looked curiously, as she opened a page explaining what physiology was and what kind of jobs were in that field.

"Wait, there's internet here?" Motohama asked. "I thought prisons…"

"Well… normally prisons don't allow internet access, but here, you can use the internet – albeit to a limited degree," Julie explained. "Gaming websites, gambling websites, social media websites are prohibited here… but e-mails are allowed only by special permission... Anyway, here is a list of professions related to physiology…"

"Biomedical scientist… Clinical research associate… exercise physiologist… science writer… medical sales representative…" he read out loud as he looked at the various jobs he could do just by going into the field of physiology.

"Those seem… rather interesting…" Motohama admitted as he scrolled through the page. Julie just smiled at that.

"I'm glad that you are. But if you're looking for career choices, you should try to widen your horizon even further," Julie explained.

"Expand my horizon? How?" Motohama asked. He was truly getting interested now.

"Well… let's try psychology. Have you ever considered psychology?" Julie asked Motohama. Motohama just shook his head.

"Well, then let's see…" she said, as she browsed through the internet for jobs in psychology and many more.

The two of them would look through the many jobs and talk about their profiles, requirements and pay. They worked together for the next hour or more, as Motohama and Julie took down notes on a piece of paper.

As if something just took over him, he forgot all about his perverted intentions that he had regarding his career choices. Instead, he started to develop a great interest for the many possibilities for his career choices.

Clinical psychologist… forensic psychologist… sport and exercise psychologist… psychotherapist… market researcher… so many of them…

Motohama just didn't know what to think anymore once he saw these different job titles, profiles and requirements. There were so many of them. And to think he wanted to settle his career to being a doctor (and insincerely, too!) …

"Is something wrong?" Julie asked a bit concerned. Motohama was immediately taken out of his thoughts, as he paid attention to Julie.

"N-n-no! W-what are you talking about?" Motohama asked in surprise.

"You just spaced out there for a while," she said as she leaned closer to the pervert. "It looked like you were shocked by something you just read. Are you sure you're all right?"

Motohama couldn't help but stare at her chest. 'So damn big!" he thought perversely.

"I-I-I'm fine… No need to worry about me," he replied, as he turned his eyes towards her face. "I was just surprised at the many possibilities I could be doing in my life, that's all."

Julie just smiled at Motohama's reply, as she tilted her head cutely.

"I'm glad to hear it," Julie said, as she moved herself away from Motohama. "It's good to know that I could open your eyes to the many possibilities that exist in the job market…"

"Yeah, so I see…" Motohama answered, before sighing. "But now I have an even harder time choosing what I want to do in the future!"

"Yes, I can imagine that's true… But sometimes it's better to feel this way, while thinking long and hard about it than to have an idea of what you want to be, while not considering other possibilities," Julie said.

"Huh? What's so bad about the last option?" Motohama asked, while raising an eyebrow.

"Well… as I've shown you, there are many different career paths for you to choose, right?" Julie asked to which Motohama only nodded. "Then it's only reasonable for you to think hard and long about whether you have what it takes to do this or that career. Whenever you choose a career path you have to consider three things: Ability to do the job, qualifications to get the job and the love to do the job," Julie explained, as Motohama listened on with great interest.

"On the other hand, if you just focus on one job, like the one you just mentioned… what was it again… doctor…?" she thought, before snapping her fingers as she remembered. "Yes, that was it! If you focus too much on being a doctor, you neglect all or at least one of the three thinking points I just mentioned, namely 1) your desire to become a doctor because you love it, 2) the qualifications to do it, as you yourself have admitted, requires years of advanced academic and medical training and 3) the physical and mental ability to do it."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean one wouldn't be able to become a doctor, just because one didn't think of the other possibilities. I mean, you can still become a doctor or anything for that matter, while fulfilling all three points, right?" Motohama argued. Julie nodded her head in agreement.

"I never said that it was impossible. In fact, that is always a possibility. But who can say that you aren't better in **other** fields?" Julie asked. Motohama wanted to say something but shut his mouth after seeing the logic of Julie's argument.

"I… think I see your point…" Motohama conceded.

"Motohama…" Julie said gently, surprising Motohama at the shift in tone. Normally, she spoke slowly and shyly in a quiet, soft tone, but when she spoke about career choices, she seemed so… fired up… He noticed it, the moment she shifted back to her original tone. Motohama never expected someone like Julie to be so lively.

"…you're still young… You still have a long life ahead of you... That's why we want to give you the best we can offer… And one of the things we can do, is prepare you for the future. Here is something you should consider…" Julie said with a soft smile that almost caused Motohama to swoon, had he not controlled himself to hear her words.

"… don't look in only one direction, but in many… Try your best in everything that you do… then you can look back and say: I did well…"

Motohama didn't say anything, as he just stared at the beautiful purple-haired woman in front of him with his mouth wide open.

Motohama just realized it.

How could he have been so blind?

The best thing about a woman wasn't her boobs or her clothes or her underwear… (though make no mistake, those things were still his life and that's not going to change!)

It was her sweet lovely character that mattered. The kind and caring behavior that only a true woman would have towards people…

Little did Motohama know that he would treasure her sweet words… forever…

"Umm… Motohama…?" Julie asked with a blush in her face.

"Huh…?" Motohama replied confused.

"You're drooling…" Julie told Motohama. At that Motohama quickly wiped the drool coming down from his lips. Both of them were blushing now from embarrassment.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to," Motohama apologized profusely.

"N-no!" Julie replied equally panicked. "It has been more than an hour since we've been sitting here together! I bet you're tired, that's all!"

"Yeah… maybe… Hey, what time was I supposed to go back to class?" Motohama queried.

Both of them looked at the time on the computer screen as they realized.

"Oh! It's 10:29 am!" Julie gasped. "You've got to get back to class! Sorry for taking so much of your time!"

"Umm… No problem! I've gotta go! Uhh… thanks, Julie! You're the best! I hope to see you soon!" Motohama rushed out, leaving a blushing Julie behind, as Motohama's compliment rang through her head.

"You're the best…" Julie repeated to herself. She looked out the door where Motohama ran out and smiled.

"Motohama… You really are a nice person… I can't wait to work with you again…" she spoke to herself.

Motohama, on the other hand, was jumping with joy at the thought of Julie, as he hurried to class.

Just like Matsuda before him, he couldn't wait to spend more time with her again.

* * *

 _At 9:02 am – with Issei in the hallway_

Issei was in the hallway, as he looked for classroom 108. On the way, he wondered which one of the wardens was assigned to him.

'Is it Julie, Nathalie or Sally?' Issei wondered. Now granted, although he was madly in love with Monique, he didn't mind being with the other ladies either. And so, Issei walked until he got to the designated classroom.

He opened it and found the coral-pink haired girl called Sayo§/&$#*/€'*(&%&/§&/(&($5808[{[]\³65!?

Issei flinched back a bit.

What was that? It felt like something glitched out of nowhere!

He looked around nervously, until he found Sally, who was looking out the window. She was swaying while holding her hands behind her back, as she hummed a tune. Issei had to admit, Sally was quite a cute girl. Was she really in her twenties already? Then again, she did say she was 20 years old, so she probably was still quite girly.

As he closed the door behind him, he approached Sally, trying not to sneak up from behind and scare her. Unfortunately, as soon as he spoke…

"Umm, Miss Sally?" Issei said.

Sally just broke out of her humming and whirled around in shock to see Issei standing in front of her.

"Issei! My goodness!" Sally said, as she held a hand to her chest. "You scared me!"

Issei just rubbed his head from behind in embarrassment. "Sorry, Miss Sally…" he apologized.

Sally just giggled, as though nothing bad had happened. "Sally is fine. I'm really not into the 'Miss' part," she replied with a cute smile.

[Doki!] Issei's heart went, as he saw her smile.

"Cute…" Issei whispered. Sally just tilted her head in confusion.

"Did you say something?" she asked. Issei just blushed and shook his head.

"N-n-nothing! I didn't say anything!" Issei stuttered embarrassed. "A-a-anyway… the questions…"

Sally just widened her eyes in response. "Oh, yes! The questions…" she said, as she went to the desk and took out Issei's questionnaire.

"I read it through," Sally said. "And I have to say, it's quite surprising…"

Issei raised his eyebrow at that. "Really? What is?" he asked, wanting to know what caught Sally's interest.

"It says here…" she said, looking at the paper. "…that you want to become a police officer, is that right?" Sally asked, as she looked towards Issei.

"Yeah," Issei confirmed, as he nodded. "I thought long and hard about what I wanted to be. And as of today, I want to become a police officer to protect the people of Kuoh, including my friends… you know?"

Sally nodded, though something about her told Issei she wasn't quite satisfied with his answer.

"Well, so I see… OK… It's just that it's kind of ironic… wanting to become a police officer – now out of all times – when you being imprisoned here for a crime…" she remarked.

"H-hey," Issei protested. "I just lost my cool back then. They were badmouthing my dead parents, so what could I have done?"

Sally pursed her lips, as she heard his reply. She knew she may have touched a potential landmine there. But still, she needed to know.

"I don't want to sound insensitive, but…" Sally said. "…is the reason why you want to protect people… because of what happened to your parents?" she asked Issei cautiously. Issei winced, as heard her question. Sally really didn't want to do this, but it was the only way.

Issei didn't do anything, as he just stood there, his face showing signs of sadness. Finally, he nodded at her question. "Yeah… it is…" Issei admitted.

Sally just nodded at his reply, as she pondered what to say next. But Issei managed to speak up first.

"…My parents… were killed by a criminal in a back alley… We were on the way back from watching a libretto when it happened…" Issei told Sally, who decided to let Issei say what he wanted to say. "…I think he wanted our money… but then…" Issei tensed, as he remembered that moment.

"…he killed my mum… and then my dad… then he tried to kill me… in the end… I killed him…" Issei revealed, as Sally gasped in shock at what she heard.

"…I ran home… I took a shower… and then I went to sleep… the next morning, the police came to me to tell me the horrible news… I pretended to know about all this for the first time because I didn't want to get charged with murder… though the news still made me sad…" Issei spoke softly, as Sally looked at him with concern in her eyes.

Issei covered his mouth, as he realized what he had just slipped. He wanted to keep the part about how he killed that man a secret to anyone, except his friends! Issei was getting panicked. What was he going to do?

"Issei?" Sally asked Issei. Issei just looked at her, waiting in anticipation at what she was going to ask.

"You did it in self-defense, right?" Issei quickly nodded at that.

"Then, it's ok… Nobody can blame you for what you have done… It's only normal to do it self-defense! Besides, if you want to keep it a secret, then you count on me! Ehehe…" Sally reassured Issei with a giggle.

Issei was surprised at her empathy. Nonetheless, he relaxed, as he took his hand away from his mouth. It didn't seem like the police would be coming for him anytime soon.

"So… this is why you wanted to join the police Issei?" Sally asked, as she tried get back to the original topic.

"Yeah…" Issei replied. "After my parents were buried, I swore to their graves that I would protect Kuoh from such criminals. I swore to get stronger… smarter… I trained and learned some improvised martial arts. But until I came here, I never knew what I wanted to do when I grow up, which is why…" Issei looked at Sally with determination in his eyes.

"I want to serve my country's police. I don't want anybody to go through the same pain that I went through," Issei solemnly declared to Sally. Sally just stood there, admiring the young man's determination and aspirations. Yet, as someone put in charge over young men like him, she knew that she needed to tell someone with aspirations like him something vital.

"Issei?" Sally asked.

"Yeah?" Issei replied.

"I admire your determination… your wishes… and I never would want to pour cold water over it… but…" she hesitated.

"But what?" Issei raised his eyebrows in confusion. What on earth was she possibly going to say?

"…But let me ask you… If you were in a situation where… let us say… a criminal that has done all kinds of bad things… rape… murder… theft… and so on… was living a great life either because courts are unable to prove that he was guilty or because all the people and institutions are too scared to do anything… even though his crimes are obvious to everyone… What would you do? Would you go after him?" Sally asked.

Issei wondered why she was asking him these questions but decided to think about it. After 15 seconds he found an answer.

"Obviously, I would go after that creep with everything I've got," Issei answered confidently.

"OK… But what if the police ordered you to stay away from him, telling you not to pursue him for whatever unknown reason. Would you still do it?" Sally asked again.

This time, Issei was not so sure. He thought about for more than half a minute, before he nodded his head.

"Of course! I would go after that creep no matter what anybody says. I swore I wouldn't let anyone go through the pain I did!" Issei replied firmly.

Sally sighed in response. "*Sigh* I knew you might something like that… I'll be honest with you Issei, but… I don't think you're cut out to be a police officer…" Sally answered sadly.

Issei stood there his mouth agape in disbelief. What? Not cut out? How? Why?

"W-what do you mean by that?" Issei asked.

"I mean," Sally explained. "If you want to be a police officer. You have to abide by the law, regulations and decision-making from above. A police officer acts to preserve and enforce law and order. That counts even for decisions that seem… wrong… like in the case I just told you. For someone like you… your answer just proved to me that you can't do that," Sally explained.

"Well…" Issei tried to reason. "I can put aside my passion! I mean, ok… the hypothetical criminal you just mentioned may be free for the moment, but… I can wait! Besides, it probably will be a matter of time until he does one stupid move and then he's busted!" Issei slammed his fist into his open hand.

Sally thought a bit on what she was going to say next.

"Yes, what you say may be true, but… what if he gets punished far too leniently?" Sally asked Issei.

"Leniently?" Issei frowned. Sally nodded at that.

"Yes, leniently. Let's say, he only gets convicted for a part of his crimes but gets acquitted for the rest… this giving him a total punishment of… let's say five years," Sally continued her hypothetical situation.

"Five years?" Issei laughed. "There's no way someone like him could get off the hook that easily!"

"But let's say he does," Sally continued. "What would you do? Would you try to kill him or just let him live out the rest of his days?" she asked, causing Issei to frown suspiciously at the female warden.

"Why the questions? Do you really think I'm not capable of being a police officer?" Issei asked her.

Sally raised her hands in defense. "I didn't mean to offend! I was just thinking about something that happened to you, while you were in Kuoh Police Prison, that's all!"

Issei just looked at her in confusion. "What about me being in Kuoh Police Prison? What happened there?" he asked.

"You remember the incident with the rogue police officer trying to kill you and your friends two days ago?" Sally asked. Issei looked at her in surprise.

"Wait, how did you…?" he asked. Sally just sighed, as she pulled out a file with Issei's name on it.

"As wardens, we have access to your police files and they gave us a copy of the report of what happened," Sally revealed. "Issei, do you remember why that police officer tried to kill you?"

"Yeah, the investigators told me that I put his sister into a coma… which is why I'm here by the way…" Issei answered sheepishly.

"Yes…" Sally nodded. "Anyway… what the police officer did at the time was against the law. Attempted murder is what they called it. From what I've heard is that when he wakes up from his coma, he'll be sent to court. Prosecutors are calling to give him a life sentence."

"Well, I'd be surprised if they didn't do that. So? Why is he relevant?" Issei questioned.

"It's just… well… when you said you would go out of your way to defy police orders and laws… all to get back at that hypothetical criminal…" Sally explained. "You chose the exact same decision that that rogue police officer did."

Issei widened his eyes in shock at Sally's answer, before he clenched his teeth.

"Now, wait just a minute! I-" Issei started, but was cut off by Sally.

"Think about it! That rogue police officer had someone he loved, end up in a coma from which she might never wake up from, while you, the criminal, only got a two-year sentence. He probably had similar dreams and aspirations like you did! And yet all of these were ruined when he chose revenge and vigilantism over law and order, contrary of what he was supposed to do! Imagine if **you** had become a police officer and lost someone else you loved to someone like our hypothetical villain, what would **you** have done?" she ranted angrily, leaving her breathing heavily, as she calmed down.

Issei just stood there in silence, as he let the coral-pink haired girl's words sink into him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized… she was right…

How could he have been so blind? Of course, he'd do the same thing that police officer Ito did when he tried to kill him and his buddies. Emotions, zeal… Issei realized, these things had no place in the line of duty… no place in the mind of a police officer…

Issei clenched his fists. If all that was true, then… how could he fulfill his promise? How was going to stop all these criminals from doing what they please? If the police force wasn't cut out for him, then what on earth could he do?

"Issei… I'm sorry I shouted at you…" Sally apologized, while looking to the floor. She came off less as a prison warden and more like an ordinary girl. "I… please forgive me…" she said, before she tried to leave. But that didn't happen because Issei grabbed her hand.

"Sally…" Issei started, as Sally turned around, their eyes meeting each other.

"…I should be the one apologizing… I… was the one being disrespectful… I should have listened to you… you… you were right… I'm way to emotional and uncontrolled to be a police officer…"

"It's ok… You don't have to be a police officer to follow your dreams…" Sally spoke softly.

"Really? Issei asked hopefully. "What can I do? How on earth can I fulfill my promise to protect Kuoh? My friends… the ones I love…"

Sally just looked down sadly. "I… don't know Issei…" she replied much to his disappointment. "But that's what we're going to find out for the next two years… together…right?" she asked, looking at Issei once again.

"Yeah, we don't have to find out all of that out now… So, please… take care of me… Sally…" Issei said, while sporting a toothy grin.

"Issei…" Sally smiled happily, as she said that, as they stared into each other's eyes. Issei's brown eyes met Sally's sky-blue ones. They quickly realized what they were doing, but surprisingly, neither one of them broke of contact.

Instead, Sally hesitantly moved to hug Issei. Issei saw what she was doing and slowly wrapped his arms around her. She realized that although Issei was five years younger than she was, his arms were pretty big and strong compare to hers. Issei gestured to sit on the table near the window, which she consented.

They went towards the table and sat down there, each of their arms wrapped around each other's waist as they watched the beautiful morning sky.

"Hey, Sally?" Issei asked.

"Huh?" Sally replied.

"Thanks again… If it wasn't for you… who knows what kind of stupid decision I would have done in the future…" Issei thanked her.

"No problem… Issei… I mean… it is my job…" Sally replied.

"I have to say, you're pretty good at your job…" Issei complimented.

"Well… let's just say… that when you've been through emotional ups and downs like I have, then naturally you would understand people like yourself…" Sally said, while reminiscing about her past.

"Really? Did you go through some troubling experience?" Issei asked, curious about the girl next to him.

"Yes… when I was young my dad passed away when I was ten… I wanted to become a doctor, but had to give up when it turned out that my grades in science weren't exactly the best… I was crying my eyes out when I found out that I was rejected, but…"

"But… what?" Issei wanted to know.

"Eventually, I found what I was good at… helping people…" she said, while looking at Issei. "…which is why I ended up being a prison facility warden at Sakabasu here. And since then… I don't regret my decision…" she finished her tale and gave a smile towards Issei.

"And I'm glad that you did…" Issei smiled in return, as he hugged the young prison warden, something she returned.

"Could we stay like this… just a little while longer?" Issei asked, while looking into Sally's eyes. Sally just nodded.

And thus, they sat there, enjoying each other's company, not doing or saying anything for the next hour, except hugging, resting in each other's arms. All they did was feel each other's presence, as they looked out into the beautiful morning sky.

* * *

 _9_ _th_ _September, Sunday, about 11:15 am – courtyard, Sakabasu Detention Facility_

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had finished reporting about their interviews and out in the courtyard of Sakabasu Detention Facility. They were told to clear the fallen leaves on the facility grounds with a rake – and there were a lot of leaves out there.

Normally, they would be complaining, since it kind of reminded them of a certain punishment they had to do at Kuoh Academy.

Instead, they were talking about their interactions with their respective wardens.

"Yeah, Julie and I hit it out well together!" Motohama claimed, as he tried to rake with his good arm. "Not only, is she good looking with great oppai, but she has a heart of gold…"

"Oh yeah?" Matsuda responded, while holding the container to deposit the leaves in. "Well, Nathalie was way better! She's girly, but kind of cool! Moe, but mind of mature. She can get angry at times, but once you get to know her and vice-versa, she can be a really good friend. And most importantly, she likes me…" he sneered. Matsuda only frowned at his friend's attitude.

"Oh, yeah? Well, Julie isn't always angry at one moment and cute at the next, she's sweet all the time. And although she is shy, she'll open up to me to be more. And by the time we end up together, you and Nathalie will be long history, virgin!" Motohama retorted, causing Matsuda to frown in return.

"Nathalie is best girl!"

"No, Julie is!"

"Nathalie is cute!"

"Julie has great oppai! Your Nathalie has the boobs of a washboard!"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me! Issei and I love big boobs, right?"

"Issei, lolis are the best, aren't they?"

They both stopped arguing, as they turned to Issei, who was raking leaves a great distance of. Ever since he came back, he seemed to be in a world of his own, looking at somewhere in the distance.

""ISSEI!"" the two of them shouted, getting Issei's attention.

"W-w-what?" Issei shouted flustered at being torn out of his daydream.

"Nathalie or Julie!?" Matsuda yelled.

"Which one is it!?" Motohama demanded.

Issei looked uncertain until he thought back at what happened between him and Sally.

"Neither one of them…" Issei responded.

""WHAT!?"" the two of them yelled in surprise.

"Yeah…" Issei continued. "Sally… should be the one to have that title…"

"Why is that? It's obvious that although Julie might all be about appearances, she's got a heart of gold underneath! She shows you how to widen your horizon on life! So why is Sally the best girl?" Motohama challenged Issei.

"Yeah! That title should go to Nathalie! She might be a tsundere, but she doesn't judge people, solely on their past – let alone their appearances. She has a desire to help people, regardless for who they are and is a genius when it comes to photography and media design! So why Sally out of all people?" Matsuda demanded.

Issei didn't say anything at first. Obviously, the other wardens left a really good impression on them and Issei couldn't wait to spend more time with them, too.

But the reason why he loved Sally…

…is because of how honest she was towards him…

…how she addressed his trauma and saved him from making what could have been a dumb decision…

…how she opened herself up to him…

…and most importantly…

…because she loved him… despite his perverted tendencies… despite the fact his crimes… despite his rude behavior towards him…

…she loved him… and he loved her… **that** was clear to both of them…

"…after all, why else did we hold hands…? Why else did we sit there for about an hour watching the beautiful weather…?" Issei said softly to himself, not realizing that he was saying these things himself.

He only realized what he had done, when he saw Matsuda and Motohama looking at him in shock with their mouths wide open. It seemed like they had heard everything Issei was thinking out loud.

"Guys…?" Issei said, as he wondered if they were going still as gargoyles for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately for Issei…

"HOW DARE YOU GET LUCKY WITH A GIRL BEFORE WE COULD!" Matsuda shouted.

"YOU TRAITOR!" Motohama yelled.

Issei backed away, as his friends approached him, then broke into a sprint, as they chased him with their collecting tools as weapons.

"DDRAIG! GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF HERE!" Issei pleaded, as he tried to summon his Sacred Gear to no avail.

 **[Sorry, partner. I'm afraid that's something that you can deal with *chuckle*]** the trolling dragon replied, as Issei ran around the facility grounds with Matsuda and Motohama hot on his heels.

"Teehee," Sally giggled, as she saw Issei Hyoudou from one of the windows. "He's about five years younger than I am… and yet he is…" she blew a kiss towards the window.

"GET BACK, ISSEI!" Matsuda yelled, as he and Motohama gained on Issei.

"NO WAY!" Issei shouted defiantly, as he tried in vain to escape his friends, as they pounced on him.

"…my first boyfriend…"

* * *

 **Oh wow…**

 **This has got to be the longest chapter I have written so far…**

 **I can't believe it took me so long.**

 **Normally, I could do it in shorter periods of time, but when you have to work from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm and play computer games, you tend not to have a lot of time.**

 **Thankfully, I managed to finish this chapter today…**

 **Now we got to see the perverted trio dreaming about their favorite girls – Issei in particular. And I managed to throw an action scene into this chapter, which I didn't expect while I was working on the last chapter.**

 **He also managed to learn Dragon Shot – which obliterated the window, much to the perverted trio's misfortune.**

 **We also get some one-on-one with one of the wardens and one of the members of the perverted trio. I left out Monique because the perverted trio had spent so much time with her. That's why I decided to give them more time to bond with the other wardens.**

 **It took me a lot of time and effort to think about what the perverted trio was interested career-wise… or what they were going to learn individually from each of the girls – especially when it came to the life lessons.**

 **As you've read Issei seems to have ended up with Sally. But what about Monique? Isn't he in love with her, too? Well, Issei is just into Monique because of her sexy appearance and demeanor – the same counts for Matsuda and Motohama.**

 **After much thought, I've decided to pair Issei and Sally. There! My first shipping for this fanfic!**

 **I'm excited to see where I go on from there.**

 **Though speaking about potential love-interests, some of you have reminded me of Murayama and Katase. I forgot that I didn't give them a proper conclusion in chapter 4. So, what happened to them? Well…**

* * *

 _9_ _th_ _September, Sunday, about 11:25 am – Murayama's home, Kuoh_

Murayama and Katase were together in the living room, as they sat together watching TV. They switched it off, when they came across a rather uncomfortable scene that seemed to go on for more than five minutes – maybe even more!

"Seriously!" Murayama complained. "Who makes a scene about a woman being raped by a gang of rapists for more than five minutes?"

"Right!" Katase agreed. "We're never watching this movie again!"

The two first-year kendo-girls had gone through a lot of ordeal since that day. After that brawl, they and the whole class were punished to complete the sentence that the perverted trio was supposed to serve – namely by picking up all the trash every break. This wasn't fair! They were stopping trying to stop the fight, not contribute to it, unlike certain perverts turned thugs that beat up girls…

Although they couldn't agree with the callousness of Karen, Mina and Mikasa towards Issei's tragedies, being excessively violent towards the fairer sex was wrong, too!

Murayama and Katase sighed. They heard that the perverted trio was attacked by Mikasa's brother in prison and then sentenced to some detention facility for two years.

Even though they hated the perverted trio, they couldn't help but feel sorry for them – especially Issei.

They remembered at how he had lashed out at them the other day, as he left school early. To think that he was holding all this pain this entire time… They couldn't even imagine losing their parents in one night and they wished that something like that would never happen…

Not to them, nor anyone else…

They sighed once again, as they looked out the window. While they would start their week with no worries about anyone peeping on them, the way the perverted trio left them, just left them with a bitter, if not traumatic, aftertaste…

* * *

 **Please read and review. I hope to hear from you.**

 **Until then, see you soon.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	10. Chapter 95 - Issei x Sally

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there! It's me, Hide Shinyama!**

 **Here's an extra chapter, taking place right after the events of chapter 9.**

 **Why put that in? Why for more bonding time with Issei and Sally.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 9.5 – Issei x Sally

 _8_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 2:35 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, facility grounds_

Issei was lying leaning against a tree, thinking about what had happened today with a smile. So many things happened in the last 24 hours…

Despite being a bit bruised by his buddies earlier today (they were punished to wiping all the dusty areas in the facility with Nathalie watching them with a sharp eye), this probably was the best time he has had in his life…

Being able to use Dragon Shot for the first time (Ddraig told him to train shooting it in the sky when no one else is looking) …

Their first class session… of a sort… with Monique…

And the one-on-one talk with Sally…

"*Sigh…*" Issei sighed happily. The conversation with Sally…

Issei didn't know how it happened. At first they were just talking about his career choices. But then they started talking about the tragedy with his parents… and then the argument about him being unfit to be a police officer… then… how they apologized… then…

Issei sighed happily once again, as he remembered how they held hands and hugged each other for about an hour… looking out the window…

Issei wondered what would his relationship with him and Sally would be from now on.

Would they be a couple?

Or were they just close friends…?

Granted, he still had the hots for Monique, but… Sally opened up to him… showed her affection to him… held hands… hugged each other… that isn't something friends would do, right?

And on top of that, Issei reasoned, wasn't she five years older than he was? Was such a relationship even permitted?

'Well…' Issei thought, as he looked up into the sky. 'Guess I have to ask her…'

"Umm… Issei?" a voice said to him. Startled, Issei looked at the source of the sound and found…

"S-Sally!" Issei exclaimed in surprise. Indeed, there she was, standing in front of him, wearing a brown coat over a cream-colored sweater with a black knee-length skirt, knee-socks and sneakers (Issei had to admit, that Sally looked pretty good in casual clothing).

"Relax, Issei!" Sally raised her hands as a signal to calm him down. "There's no need to get surprised… I just wanted to spend more time with you… if that's ok…" she said with reddened cheeks.

Issei looked at her in surprise. It seems like he was going to ask that question sooner than expected.

"N-no problem…" Issei stuttered a bit. He then patted the ground next to him. "If you want to, you can sit next to me…" To his disappointment, Sally shook her head.

"No thanks… I don't want to get my clothes messy… Can I just stand next to you instead?" Sally asked politely. Issei looked at her a bit, before nodding his head.

She went over to the tree and stood right next to Issei. Sally looked down at him, while Issei looked up at her. The situation was a bit awkward for them. They didn't know what to do. Despite having hugged each other earlier today, the two of them have yet to establish how they were going to deal with each other.

Even though Sally considered Issei to be her boyfriend, she had yet to openly express it to him. Plus, she didn't even know if he wanted it. But he held her hand hands and hugged her, right? Surely, he wanted to be in a relationship with him, right?

Then again, she did notice how Issei and his friends would lust after Monique. So, was his reaction to her just his hormonal instincts?

Before Sally could ponder any further…

"Kyaa!" Sally yelped, as she slipped because of the wet leaves and grass, falling with her back first to the wet ground. Before she could hit the ground, though…

"Oof!" Issei gave out, as he jumped forward and caught her in his arms, causing him to land on his stomach first. It knocked the breath out of him, but it hurt less than Issei had expected.

"Haah… haah… Thanks, Issei…" Sally panted, as she looked at Issei.

"No problem… Are you hurt?" Issei asked concerned.

"No, I'm fine…" she replied, before the two of them realized how close they were to each other.

Issei was holding Sally in his arms, preventing her from touching the wet floor. On top of that his left arm was rather close to his butt…

"I-I-Issei!" Sally yelped. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"W-what!?" Issei blushed. "No! I mean… I'm the one should apologize… I mean…" Issei stammered, as he tried to apologize.

"N-n-no! I'm the one who should apologize… If I wasn't so clumsy… you wouldn't have…" Sally tried to reason. But both of them fell silent, as they just looked at each other with reddened faces.

For some reason, both of them felt the need for physical contact. Since that time in the classroom, they strangely missed each other's warmth and presence. Their arms around each other…

Neither of them said or did anything for a while.

"Hey, Sally…?" Issei broke the silence.

"Yes…?" Sally replied shyly.

"Can I… hold you in a princess carry?" Issei asked with equal shyness.

Sally was surprised at the request at first, but then decided to grant him his request.

"Sure…" Sally replied, as she wrapped her arms around Issei's neck.

Issei stood up and slowly, as he got up on one knee, as he held Sally tighter to his body. Then he stood up straight, completing the princess carry. He held her, his left arm holding knee-socks-wearing legs and his right one holding her back.

Neither of them said a word, as they looked into each other's eyes. Then they moved their lips towards each other…

"Nnnn…" Sally gave out, as her lips touched Issei's. All their passion flowed into that one kiss, as they pressed their lips hard against each other. It took eight seconds until they moved their faces away from each other to breathe.

They panted, but the two of them were in a bliss from the feeling that they felt a moment ago.

They kissed. Their first kiss.

Issei's bliss however turned into embarrassment. What did he just do? He just acted on the moment without thinking.

He just kissed Sally… Someone who was already an adult, a warden no less.

Was this even right?

"Umm… uh… this is… I-" Issei tried to explain. But Sally, although she was embarrassed as well, just shushed him softly.

"Issei… It's ok…" Sally told him, as she kissed him on the lips again. Issei forgot about his embarrassment, as he enjoyed the bliss that he and Sally shared during the kiss. After their lips parted once again, Issei still had questions.

"Is this really ok? I mean… I'm still underage and you're an adult, right? Are you sure you're fine with it?" Issei asked, clearly concerned about starting their relationship properly – if they were starting that is. "I mean… you probably know that I'm a pervert who likes big boobs and so… I'm into porn, too… Heck, I even make eyes at women like Monique, in case you haven't noticed. I mean why would you-"

"Issei. I'm fine with it," Sally assured him, as she stroked Issei's soft brown hair. "I know about your fetishes and your perverted nature… even about looking at Monique…" Issei looked at her in surprise, as he heard her words. "But I know that deep inside, you're a sweet guy… someone who won't abandon those he loves…" she said lovingly, as she kissed him again. The kiss lasted a few seconds before they ended it.

"Besides…" Sally continued, as she kissed Issei's cheek. "I like younger guys like you anyway…" she revealed. "I also like guys that have a dreams… dreams and hopes that they want to pursue… and share with others… like you…" she said, as she kissed hism on the cheek again.

"Sally…" Issei started, as he felt happiness at the praise that he received from Sally. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Do you… want to be my girlfriend?" he asked with some hesitation in his voice.

Sally just giggled at his Issei's question. "Of course, Issei… Why else do you think I would kiss you?"

Issei's heart was beating rapidly by now, his hormones rushing through his body, as he kissed Sally again. He finally did it. His first girlfriend!

It was hard to believe, but this was truly happening!

Just two days ago, he thought that he was going to be in jail all alone, in complete isolation and yet…

Here he was, holding his new girlfriend in his arms, kissing her over and over again.

These days… Issei just hoped they would never end…

"Hey, Issei…?" Sally said after taking a break from kissing. Issei stopped, too, to hear her request. "Can you let me go now?" she asked.

Issei was surprised at her request. "Why…?" he asked. Didn't she want to kiss him anymore?

"I want to try a different position, that's all…" she answered, before giving him another kiss.

Issei reluctantly put her on the ground to let her stand.

As if rewarding Issei, Sally immediately jumped on him and hugged him, wrapping her legs around his waist and resumed kissing her new boyfriend.

Issei moaned, as he felt Sally pressing her body against his groin. This was way better than the princess-carry position.

In order to prevent himself from falling, they stopped kissing and pressed Sally's back against the tree, rubbing his crotch against her – something that both of them enjoyed by the way.

All the pain, suffering, ordeals, duties and doubts Issei had in his life… washed away by the love-making and passion… even if momentarily…

Issei and Sally just continued their passionate make-out session like there was no tomorrow, enjoying the love and feelings that they both shared for each other. They continued their make-out session, all by themselves and uninterrupted.

The sun shone and the clouds came and covered it, causing the sky to become gray. The wind blew and rustled the branches and bushes. It also seemed like rain was going to fall.

Yet nothing would disturb those two, as they continued kissing each other for who knows how long until they had to stop.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in room 103, inside Sakabasu Detention Facility_

[ZING!]

"Huh?" Matsuda felt an odd sensation, as he looked around.

"Yo, what's up?" Motohama asked, cleaning the cupboard, while standing on a stool.

"I don't know… I have the feeling that someone is making out with someone here…" Matsuda replied, his voice showing signs of suspicion.

"WHAT!? AAGH!" Motohama screamed in shock, before falling off the stool and hitting the floor with his back first.

Being the good friend that he was, Matsuda rushed over and helped his friend up.

"Dude, are you OK?" Matsuda asked worriedly.

"I'm fine…" Motohama answered as he got up, clutching his arm, while doing so. After checking that nothing had happened to his injured left arm, his face turned dark, much to Matsuda's confusion.

"Did you really just say that someone was making out?" Motohama asked coldly.

"Ummm… yeah… Why the question?" Matsuda asked concerned, causing Motohama to look at him with a deadpan expression.

"Haven't you figured it out!?" Motohama bellowed. "It means Issei is making out with someone!"

At that, Matsuda also became indignant at Issei's good luck.

"WHAT!? AGAIN!" Matsuda shouted.

"HE MUST BE DOING IT WITH MONIQUE… OR SALLY! HE'S LOSING HIS VIRGINITY BEFORE US!" Motohama yelled.

""ISSEI! WE WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU THE NEXT TIME WE'RE DOING OUR MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING!"" the declared in unison. Suddenly the door opened, revealing an angry Nathalie.

"Will you boys be quiet and get back to work!?" Nathalie commanded, causing the two of them to flinch. Seeing that the two boys understood what she wanted, she went out and closed the door behind her.

After 20 seconds, Matsuda and Motohama were back to planning their "revenge" on Issei.

"Just you wait, Issei…" Matsuda threatened.

"…You are so gonna die!" Motohama finished.

 _Back with Issei and Sally_

"BRRR!" Issei trembled, as he felt a shiver down his spine.

"What's wrong Issei…? Sally cooed, as she continued to kiss him. By now, they were in the ground with Sally lying on top of Issei.

"N-nothing… nothing…" Issei replied, while trying to sound cool to his new girlfriend, before they continued kissing.

'Oh boy… I have a feeling that Matsuda and Motohama are going to kill me for some reason…'

* * *

 **And there we have the extra chapter.**

 **I made this chapter because I felt like the last chapter didn't quite establish Issei and Sally's relationship between them for the future. Here I finally got what I wanted.**

 **This chapter is shorter than all the other chapters, but hey! It's an extra chapter, so what did you expect.**

 **As for some of your questions about how the future of this story is going to be, well don't worry, the perverted trio will get out soon, just be patient. I don't want them to remain in jail forever, you know.**

 **As for the action, don't worry, I'll have you know th- % &/%)%&§~€"(?=(8(%&/()(=/($34(*+&/(%$/**

 **§§$( &/$/&%$5(%%4/%&/=&/()3%(/&%)/(&(/)&()/)(/7%&$%&(&$%(/%&/)%&/%%()%/)&&%*+!**

"Hehehe… Good… so it begins… everything is going exactly as I've planned… soon… and very soon… All my work and plans will finally pay off… Ehehe… AHAHAHAHAHA!"

 **& /(&%/&$&%234/(%(0)&/%/%&(%)(%&/%&)/~9/&%&%§$§(/&)(/&()/%&56784&/&%/&/234&(/&/()""/(&&%&/%)&&%)(&)(&/()&…..**

 **What was that? I felt like something glitched out…**

 **Anyway, please read and review. I always appreciate some feedback.**

 **Until then, see you soon.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	11. Chapter 10 - The situation begins

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello again! It's me – Hide Shinyama!**

 **Issei and Sally's relationship is officially a romantic one. How will things go for our two lovebirds for the next two years?**

 **Will Matsuda and Motohama end up with any of the girls?**

 **And what about that mysterious figure? What's it up to?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 10 – The situation begins

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 2:58 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, class room 101_

It was a normal day at Sakabasu Detention Facility. It was nearly time for the perverted trio to finish classes for today and leave. Right now, they were having biology classes – just like normal schools would. Though perhaps "normal" is not exactly the best term to describe their class sessions.

For one, they were having classes in a detention facility, serving two years in prison. It had only been last week when the perverted trio were still at Kuoh Academy, only to be sent to this detention facility. Not being at Kuoh Academy is reason enough for them, but having a "normal" class is not what one might expect from a detention facility like this.

Second, there were only three students/inmates in the whole facility, how much more this class room. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama always found it strange that they were the only people there. Ddraig also noted how strange it was for any prison to have only three inmates.

They were a bit on their guard at first, but soon forgot all about their suspicions and wariness because of reason number three.

That's right.

The last reason why "normal" wasn't a fitting term for their classes right now was…

"Can someone recapitulate what we learned today?" Monique asked her class.

All hands went up, causing Monique to giggle again.

"Wow, you boys are so energetic… teehee…" Monique giggled, as the perverted trio raised their hands up ambitiously once again. They've been doing that as often as they could in class – something that they didn't do when they were still students at Kuoh Academy.

Monique looked around and picked Issei – much to Matsuda's and Motohama's disappointment.

"Hey, no fair!" Matsuda complained.

"Sorry, Matsuda," Issei replied with a cocky grin. "She chose me, so suck it!"

"Issei… could you please refrain from insulting your classmate like that?" Monique said a bit seriously.

"Yeah... I'm sorry," Issei apologized, before he started his summary.

You might be asking: Why were they so ambitious in answering Monique's questions?

Why because they had the hots for her and because they wanted to impress her and endear themselves to the attractive young warden with her light brown pony-tail, her cashmere cardigan, her white shirt, blue knee-length skirt, leggings and mary-janes… but I digress.

Of course, Monique wasn't the only one they tried to get closer to. In fact, they tried to win over the hearts of the other wardens/teachers, namely Sally, Nathalie and Julie by actively participating in class or engaging them in a conversation with them when they would have their one-on-one sessions.

In all the classes that the perverted trio had in their life, they never had such attractive teachers as young or as close to their age as the facility wardens. Normally, they would be a distraction for perverted boys such as these, but instead, they ended up being a boon for Issei, Matsuda and Motohama.

All three of them ended up actually learning and improving their knowledge and skills in many different ways.

It turns out that these women were not only attractive, but they were excellent teachers, too.

Monique taught the natural sciences, Julie taught literature and language classes, Sally taught social sciences and Nathalie taught arts and home economics.

All four of them taught the high school material so well that the perverted trio felt like they were actually learning for the first time.

Hormones and attractive women…

That is ultimately the reason why these "normal" classes were anything but normal.

It feels like whoever employed Monique, Sally, Julie and Nathalie knew what they were doing. They really had a good eye for teachers **and** women.

It's like whoever came up with the teaching concept must have reasoned that charm, not strict discipline, was the best way of teaching young convicts like Issei, Matsuda and Motohama. It's not like there wasn't any discipline (Matsuda and Motohama could testify about it), but still.

Seriously, it was perfect. Everybody wins.

The new wardens/teachers get a stable job, a decent income, a good working environment and horny, but obedient students.

The inmates on the other hand get to serve their sentence in peace, finish high school, get prepared for vocational training, maybe even get one of the wardens as a girlfriend.

And all because of the inmate's hormones and attractive women.

They do work wonders don't they? How hormones like testosterone can not only stimulate sexual activity, but also regulates fertility (e. g. production of sperm) …

"…muscle mass, fat distribution, and red blood cell production… These are found predominantly in men, but also in smaller amounts in women, whose bodies primarily produce estrogen. Estrogen has a similar function to testosterone in terms of sexual activity and body development but has a function of… stimulating the growth of the endometrium during the menstrual cycle… increases uterine growth… improves lubrication of the vagina… and thickens the vaginal wall while increasing blood vessels to the skin…" Issei finished his summary. He was reading from a sheet of paper that he had written his notes on, while trying very hard to maintain a neutral face. Talking about female sexual organs in the middle of class was rather embarrassing – more so if a woman like Monique was present.

Matsuda and Motohama were trying their best to hold in their laughter, as they listened to Issei speak about the embarrassing subject. Truly Monique was hot and all, but sexual education had its own fun-factor.

Monique, being the nice teacher that she was, just smiled cheerfully at their reaction.

"Teehee… Good summary, Issei. You all learned really well today. I have to admit; I didn't know you enjoyed talking about vaginas so much… teehee…" Monique giggled.

The perverted trio didn't say anything, they just blushed as Monique made that remark, but turned their faces away from her, as they made some lecherous grins.

'Wow, she doesn't mind our perversion at all…' Issei thought amazed.

'I wonder if she enjoys talking about sex…' Matsuda surmised.

'She's the best! Really, she is the best!" Motohama thought excitedly. Finally, someone who doesn't hate them for their perversion. He just hoped, he could get lucky with her someday…

"All right!" Monique exclaimed, as she put her things into the folder. "It's 3 o'clock and that means class is dismissed. See you soon… teehee…" she finished, as the perverted trio got up from their seats and went out the door.

"Oh, yeah!" Matsuda said while raising his arm with a pumped fist. "It's weekend, guys! Our first weekend in jail and I'm pumped!"

The perverted trio were in a good mood. Classes were great and right now they were walking down the hallway to their dorms.

"Our first weekend in jail, huh?" Motohama remarked with a content smile. "I can't believe that one can actually call this a jail, you know?"

"Tell me about it!" Issei added, while stretching his arms above his head. "I'd rather call this paradise than a detention facility. If only schools outside these walls were like this…"

"Yeah! That's even more true if you consider that here, we're actually learning something, while outside, it feels like we're wasting our time!" Matsuda noted.

"Agreed! Maths, English, Modern Japanese Literature, Physics… all of them! It's like they've become easier to learn here! Back at Kuoh, learning felt so dull and boring… the material was… so-so… the teachers were boring or just plain cruel… not impossible to get by or anything… but here: great teachers, great facilities, efficient teaching and excellent one-on-one coaching! More so, since I've got the best girl in the world: Julie…" Motohama commented happily, as he made a dreamy sigh. Oh, he was so in love.

"Ehem!" Matsuda cleared his throat, signifying his disagreement with the last phrase. All three of them stood still, as Issei and Matsuda waited to find out what their friend had to say. "As much as I agree with you on the first part of what you said, I wouldn't go so far as to claim that last part of the sentence…" he said, while looking at Matsuda with a slight glare.

"What? You've got a problem with facts? Face it! Julie is the best girl in the world! She is elegant, sweet, kind, patient and has the perfect body! I even checked out her body with my Three Sizes Scouter and boy was it good!" Motohama taunted smugly. Matsuda only clenched his teeth in anger.

"Big boobs aren't everything!" Matsuda replied angrily. "Sometimes, you can make that up with your natural cuteness! And Nathalie has exactly that! Plus, she's cool and bright! So, that makes up more than enough of her short-comings. Besides, what kind of personal qualities does Julie even have other than outward appearances?" he challenged Motohama.

"Oh, shut up!" Motohama replied angrily. "Julie is best girl! It's much better than having an annoying, bossy, tsundere **brat** to boss you around!" At that the air had suddenly become cold and tense.

An uneasy silence broke out after Motohama's insult. Issei was shocked that his buddy would go so far as to insult Nathalie like that. Sure, for Issei the best girl was obviously Sally, but just because he didn't prefer any of the other girls doesn't mean that he… hated any of them… for a lack of a better word.

Matsuda on the other hand was also shocked, but he was also quite angry as well. He quickly grabbed Motohama by the shirt and pulled him towards himself.

"What… did… you… just… say…?" Matsuda asked quietly, but threateningly.

But Motohama was not intimidated. He just socked him in the face with his good arm, causing Matsuda to let go and rub his cheek.

"F*** you!" Motohama yelled. Matsuda didn't say anything, as he tackled Motohama, causing both of them to fall on the ground. Matsuda was on top of Motohama, when they started struggling.

"Guys, stop!" Issei called out, but it was no use. The two of them were already too deep in their struggle to even listen to Issei.

Issei had no choice except to separate them by force. He grabbed Matsuda in a bid to pull them away from each other, but the two of them were hard to separate, as they tried as hard as possible to continue the fight.

Seeing no other choice within the choice and looking around to make sure no one else was watching, Issei summoned the Boosted Gear and then yanked Matsuda away from Motohama.

 **[Boost!]**

Thankfully it was enough to drag him away. Unfortunately, Motohama got up and rushed to attack the restrained Matsuda.

Seeing what Motohama was trying to do, Issei threw Matsuda to the side, causing him to hit the wall with his head, before punching Motohama in the face with his Sacred Gear.

Motohama fell back down to the ground, as the punch left him in quite a daze.

Matsuda was also feeling disoriented, as his head was still hurting and spinning.

Seeing that Matsuda and Motohama were out for the count, groaning from the pain they received, Issei reset his built up powers.

 **[Reset!]** the Boosted Gear rang, as Issei felt his built-up power leave him.

"Phew… Seriously, what's with those two?" Issei asked Ddraig exhausted.

 **[Indeed. This is the fourth time, they've been fighting about Nathalie and Julie since last week.]** Ddraig replied concerned, not feeling comfortable with the situation.

"Yeah!" Issei agreed with Ddraig. "But this is the first time that they've used fists against each other. Sheesh! They're taking this way too seriously…" Issei commented, while shaking his head.

 **[I don't know, Partner…]** Ddraig said. **[…I still can't help but feel-]**

"Yeah, yeah…" Issei interrupted Ddraig. "You think that mysterious creature or whatever it is, might be behind this. Look Ddraig, we've been through this already, but if that creature really was behind all this, don't you think it would have… shown up by now?"

 **[Don't take it too lightly, Partner]** Ddraig responded. **[There are many beings that prefer to work behind the scenes or toy with their prey for over longer periods of time, before going for the kill.]**

"Yeah… but still…" Issei replied. "…I really can't help but feel that you're taking this a bit too serious…"

 **[Partner]** Ddraig said seriously. **[I have experience with enemies of all kinds. Trust me, when I say that just because everything seems fine, doesn't mean that it necessarily is. The deadliest kinds of enemies are the kind that strike when everything is normal or too good to be true.]**

Before Issei could argue back, he heard footsteps.

 **[Partner, someone is coming! Quick! Dismiss the Sacred Gear!]** Ddraig urged him.

Issei wasted no time in dismissing his Sacred Gear, as it disappeared in a flash – just in time before Sally came into view, walking down the hallway towards him. She froze in surprise when she saw Issei, standing next to an injured Matsuda and Motohama, who were lying on the ground reeling from their injuries. Issei was likewise shocked when he saw her looking at him, before realizing the awkward situation he was in.

"I-I-Issei! What happened here? Did you do this?" Sally asked, wanting to know what had transpired here.

Issei gulped, before he spoke. "The… uh… those two… uh… they got into a fight and I had to stop them, you know…" Issei tried to explain awkwardly. He only hoped Sally could buy it. Sally seemed uncertain on how to respond to Issei's explanation. But then she turned her face towards the downed Matsuda and Motohama.

"They seem injured… We should bring them to the infirmary first. Then you can talk about hat you did to them," Sally told Issei, who quickly nodded, before following Sally's lead in helping Matsuda and Motohama.

Thankfully, they were able to walk, as Issei and Sally helped them up and led them to the infirmary. It could have been a lot worse, Issei thought, but this incident was still more than enough to get them into trouble.

'Seriously, guys… I just wish you all could just respect each other's likes and preferences…' Issei thought annoyed, as he and Sally supported Matsuda and Motohama respectively on their way to the infirmary.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, 3:03 pm – At the infirmary_

Issei had just finished properly explaining everything that had happened in the hallway – how Matsuda and Motohama got into a fight because of their preferences of Nathalie and Julie respectively and how he stopped them by taking them out. Sally seemed to show some understanding of the situation and how Issei reacted.

Truth be told, she also noticed how Matsuda and Motohama had been ogling her colleagues. She didn't really mind it, in fact she also wanted some attention from the boys as well, but never did… until Issei came along.

"I see… so that's how it is…" Sally said.

"Yeah, thankfully I wasn't injured during the fight. Though, I can't say that about those two…" Issei said, as he glared at the injured Matsuda and Motohama who were resting on the infirmary beds, groaning out of pain.

"And you really took them out…? Just like that?" Sally asked amazed. She couldn't believe that Issei did that on his own.

"Yeah…" Issei said sheepishly. "I…I've been working out, so I guess taking these two out was a piece of cake." He failed to mention that those two had been training with him all for the past week and should have been about as strong as he was. After that, he continued glaring at his two friends, as they mumbled about how Nathalie/Julie was the best.

'Issei Hyoudou… He's so strong…' Sally swooned, as she looked at Issei.

Issei Hyoudou… just the name made her heart go wild. Not to mention that for a boy, he looked pretty handsome. His school uniform made up of his black blazer and black pants (he still had them, despite being kicked out of Kuoh Academy) and brown mane-like hair made Issei look… pretty hot.

Ever since they kissed that day, she couldn't help but think of him day and night. She couldn't wait to see him every time she had social science classes with Issei and his friends or met later during the breaks or during one-on-one sessions – especially the one-on-one sessions. They would spend their time snuggling and kissing each other, enjoying each other's embrace. Of course, Issei still received career training from Sally and they have made progress (Sally was still a teacher after all, she still had to tutor Issei and she was not going to neglect that).

Though Issei had yet to find out what he wanted to do career-wise, he was able to narrow down his options to doing something to do with office administration. Granted, he didn't think much of it at first, but when Sally showed him the endless potentials he could do – even while simultaneously fulfilling his promises with his parents – he did show significant interest in it.

Eventually, Issei found interest in one particular field: Investigations. Working as a private eye seemed exactly the right job for him. Though even then, there were various jobs in this realm, so it might take him some time to find out what he wanted to do. If nothing worked, he could still work as an office administrator of some kind (which had a lot of different professions by the way).

Sally admired just how forward-looking Issei was and that may have been the part she loved the most about him: His desire to help better Kuoh and himself for the sake of his late parents. Sally had to admit, there weren't many young men like Issei who had such a drive to do something and she was glad that she could help him.

It almost seemed like… Issei popped out of some kind of manga or anime or light novel of some sort. The kind of literature where a lot of characters with desirable character traits would exist in the masses. To think that someone like Issei would come into her life and shine as brightly as the sun…

Issei… with his handsome grin… his loving words towards her… how he would hug and kiss her…

"Uhh… Sally?" Issei spoke up, waking her up from her dreamy gaze.

"W-w-what? I'm sorry, Issei. Did you say something?" Sally asked startled.

"No, you were just drooling that's all…" Issei replied, as he pointed his finger on his own face where she was drooling.

She looked at Issei in confusion at first, but then noticed her drool hanging from her mouth, before wiping it away embarrassed.

"Issei! I… uh…" Sally tried to explain flustered. 'My goodness! That wasn't supposed to happen!' she thought panicked. Before she could think further, Issei kissed her, sticking his tongue into her mouth. Sally widened her eyes in shock, before giving into the pleasure of her boyfriend. Their tongues battled for a while, until they had to catch their breath. As Issei tried to continue his kisses, Sally put her hand in front of her.

"Issei, not now," Sally told him, much to Issei's disappointment. "We can do this later…"

"OK… Same time as always?" Issei asked with a smile.

"You got it," Sally replied with a giggle, ironically doing the exact opposite of what she said before. As they moved their faces closer for a kiss…

"Hi there!" Monique's friendly voice came from the door, as she entered in with a smile.

Issei and Sally immediately backed away in surprise. This caused Monique to send them a slightly confused look.

"I heard that there was some kind of commotion going on… and it seems like Matsuda and Motohama are injured for some reason… Am I interrupting something here? Your faces look kind of red…" Monique remarked. Sally and Issei felt the heat on their faces, before they shook their heads at the same time.

""N-n-no! Not at all!"" they replied together with flustered looks. They just hoped Monique didn't find out about their relationship.

"Oh well… if you say so… teehee…" Monique giggled, as she turned her eyes towards Matsuda and Motohama. Good! At least she didn't mind them so much!

"Hey, Sally…" Issei said quietly, as Monique went over to check up on Matsuda.

"Yes?" Sally asked.

"What about our one-on-one session today?"

Sally didn't reply for a moment, as she thought of what to do. She would love to just tell Issei to go to their usual room, but Monique still needed to be filled in.

"Maybe later, Issei… Your friends are a priority right now…" Sally replied disappointed.

Issei just sighed, as he nodded in understanding. He just hoped that Monique would just get this over with, so that he and Sally could be together.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, 3:54 pm – in the hallway_

Issei and Sally were just walking on their way to classroom 108, holding hands as they went.

Finally! It took long enough! Issei finished answering all of Monique's, Julie's and Nathalie's

questions about the incident and listening to their lectures about solving conflicts non-violently. Thankfully, he wasn't in any big trouble, in part because Sally spoke up for him, but boy was it long – and agonizing! Not only because he wanted to spend some time alone with Sally as soon as possible, but also because Nathalie was particularly aggressive when it came to interrogating him. He just couldn't understand how Matsuda could find her the ideal girl!

Speaking of which, his was all Matsuda's and Motohama's fault! They should be the ones who deserved to be lectured – not him! After all, they were the ones who started the fight in the first place.

Speaking of fights, did they really have to take their zealous passions **this** far? Why did they feel like their desires are the ones that everybody had to follow? Since last Sunday, they've been squabbling about it like every two days. And every time, it felt like it got worse – and now it escalated into violence, too! Couldn't they just accept that people had all kinds of different preferences in girls? That included Issei, too...

As his mind thought of all these things, Sally leaned on his shoulder, as they walked hand-in-hand. Issei just smiled, as he let go of her hand and wrapped it around her waist. Yes, indeed… everybody had their own taste in girls… and Issei's girl was not Nathalie, nor Julie… it was Sally… now… and forevermore…

They walked on until they entered classroom 108. After closing the doors, they started their passionate one-on-one session as usual… with lots of kisses and embraces, before the actual training session…

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, 4:11 pm – back with Matsuda and Motohama…_

Unlike what Issei had thought expected earlier, Matsuda and Motohama did get questioned and scolded. Nathalie and Julie berated them for their foolish behavior, fighting in the hallway and bringing themselves into this predicament.

Man, this is embarrassing… here they were fighting for the honor of their respective girls and all they got for it was scolding...

After being scolded, they were sent to their rooms to recuperate. Monique had done a good job bandaging Matsuda's throbbing head and taking care of Motohama's bruised face. In addition, she found out that Motohama's arm injuries had significantly lessened and thus didn't need the bandages on his arm anymore. Motohama felt good to move his arm freely again, but Monique had warned him to be careful about using that his arm. Who knows if any reckless use might worsen it?

Anyway, after being sent to their rooms, Matsuda and Motohama went away, murmuring as they went – and they blamed each other for it.

"If only you weren't such a jerk, this wouldn't have happened!" Motohama accused Matsuda.

"Me!?" Matsuda replied indignantly. "You punched me in the face and now you want to blame me?"

"Well you threatened me first!" Motohama talked back angrily.

"Shut your mouth, punk!" Matsuda cursed Motohama.

"What did you say!? You want to fight!?" Motohama said belligerently, beating his chest with his now recovered left arm.

"Well do you!? I bested you the last time, so watch yourself!" Matsuda threatened.

"Ha!" Motohama laughed, as though he just said the dumbest thing in the world. "You besting me!? As far as I remember, it wa-" Motohama began, before he froze mid-sentence. Matsuda smirked at that.

"What's the matter?" Matsuda gloated. "Cat got your tongue, you p****?"

"No… I just remembered something…" Motohama said, ignoring the insult Matsuda threw at him. Matsuda raised his eyebrows in confusion at his friend's change in mood.

"What?" Matsuda asked.

"It was Issei who beat us up earlier, not you me…" Motohama remembered. Upon hearing this, Matsuda immediately remembered as well.

"Yeah… How could I forget…" Matsuda said, while rubbing his chin. "…It was Issei who made me hit my head against the wall…"

"And then he punched me in the face…" Motohama reasoned.

""And that means…"" they both started simultaneously.

""ISSEI! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"" the two of them screamed to the heavens in frustration, causing a large part of the facility to hear them, including a certain pink-haired warden, who was going to have some words with them later about shouting in the facility.

* * *

 _Meanwhile with Issei and Sally…_

"Brrr…" Issei shuddered as he felt a chill down his spine in the middle of his and Sally's one-on-one session. They had just finished their kissing session a few minutes earlier, before continuing on Issei's career search.

"Issei? Is something wrong?" Sally asked innocently. Issei just looked around warily.

"I think someone was shouting death threats to me or something…" Issei remarked. 'Must be Matsuda and Motohama. Though, then again, they only have themselves to blame for what happened earlier…' Issei thought but shook those thoughts away to focus on the session.

"Anyway, you were saying?" Issei asked.

"Oh! Oh yes…" Sally piped up, as she remembered what she was going to say. "Are you really sure you want to work as a detective?" she asked.

"Yeah," Issei replied with a confident smile. "You see, while I was thinking of long and hard on what I wanted to be. I came to the conclusion that since I wasn't cut out with being a police man or any kind of professional security detail, being a detective was the next best thing… you know." Issei answered.

Sally just raised an eyebrow. "How so?" she asked.

Issei thought for a few seconds, before replying.

"You know my dream of protecting Kuoh and everyone, right?" Sally nodded at that. "Well, if I can't become a police officer, then helping them out during investigations or at crime scenes would be an ideal way to pursuing my dream. I mean, I wouldn't get caught in any violent confrontations, I could solve cases like on TV, or at the very least… help them you know…" Issei finished explaining.

Sally only gave a small giggle, as she heard Issei's answer. "That's… an interesting answer…" Sally remarked. "…But do you have the qualifications for it?"

Issei raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well… the thing is about private consultants…" Sally began.

"Private consultants?" Issei asked.

"Yes… what you would call private detectives or private eyes. Anyway, the thing about private consultants is that they at some point worked in some other profession, like a police officer or a security guard or an inspector… they don't just start straight away…" Sally explained.

Issei was stumped. Now that he thought about it, the detective characters he knew from TV always started off as something else or they were doing it as a hobby.

'Oh, bummer… Now that I think about it. How am I going to attract customers, if I don't even know how to open a business?' Issei asked himself worriedly. He turned his face back to Sally.

"Well… I'm sure there is something similar in that realm that I could work in…" Issei reasoned, hoping Sally could help him name some examples.

"Oh, there are a few jobs I could name… like a store detective or a business detective…"

"Store detective… Business detective…?" Issei asked. Sally nodded affirmatively.

"A store detective is someone who watches out for suspicious behavior in shopping malls and apprehends thieves at the store. A business detective is someone who works for a company and observes suspicious behavior among the competition, does research, inspects the company in a way…you know…" Sally explained. Issei nodded at that, but Sally could see that Issei was a bit down after hearing what she had to say.

She went up to him and hugged him from behind.

"Issei… What's wrong? Weren't those career choices good enough for you?" Sally asked worriedly.

Issei shook his head, as he grasped Sally's hand gently. "No… it's not that… it's just…" He hesitated, yet Sally waited in anticipation to what Issei had to say.

"…It's just…" Issei partially closed his eyelids, before he continued. "…It's just that… I wanted to stop criminals that's why…"

"But you are stopping criminals and such," Sally reasoned. "You're protecting businesses from theft, attacks and other suspicious behavior with your detective skills."

"But that's just the point…" Issei replied to which Sally looked at him in confusion.

"Everything I'd be doing… is for a certain business or store only… not for all of Kuoh… nor its people…" Issei replied sadly. Sally just embraced Issei tighter, as Issei rested his head against her. Sally felt Issei's brown hair rub against the side of her face. It felt fuzzy and a bit ticklish, but nice.

Sally didn't know what to say. She knew of his motive to protect Kuoh, but to think he would hold so deeply to it was astounding.

Nevertheless, she needed to give him some kind of advice, some kind of pointer... As she pointed out before, Issei didn't have the necessary qualifications to start a private consultancy business, nor could he work in the police department or the army. Telling him to give up his dreams and find a new one seemed like the easy way, but she knew that that would be an insult to the memory of his dead parents, so what could she say to Issei?

Finally, she got the answer after thinking for minute. Why didn't she think of it before? She even mentioned it to him a few minutes ago. She smiled at Issei, before kissing him on the cheek.

"You know, you may be right about not being able to protect Kuoh, but…" Sally said, causing Issei to turn his head to face her. Issei looked into her sky-blue eyes that were sparkling of happiness.

"…Who says you can't use the experience you gain as a business or store detective to **become** a private detective?" she replied, giggling slightly.

Issei looked at her confused, though his eyes lightened up a bit.

"W-what do you mean?" Issei asked. A little while ago he was disappointed that he couldn't become a private detective at first, but by what Sally just said, was there really hope that it could come true?

"It's what I said earlier. To become a private detective, you must have experience in the realm of security and protection first, like being a police officer or an inspector. But of course, being a business detective or a store detective is just as good a way of getting similar work experience. It's a long shot, I know. You might have to work a few years helping some company or store, but once you've done that, you can leave to start your own business," Sally explained happily.

Issei didn't know what to say. He was stunned and didn't move a muscle.

Sally waved her hand in front of Issei to get his attention. But then Issei grabbed a hold of Sally and kissed her. She was surprised, but she went along with it.

"Thank you, Sally! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Issei was enthusiastic. He had found what he had wanted and now had a way to fulfill his dream.

"Ehehehe…" Sally giggled, obviously flattered from Issei's praises. "No problem. It's all just part and parcel of my job, that's all…"

Issei didn't care. He just continued kissing the coral-pink haired girl, as they passed the time, making out in classroom 108.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, 4:57 pm – Sakabasu Detention Facility, dorm rooms_

Matsuda and Motohama were moping around in bed, grouchy and grumpy of all that has happened. First, they fought each other because the other didn't see the beauty of their respective girl, then Issei beat them up, then they get scolded and now they were scolded again by Nathalie for shouting in the hallway!

"Seriously!" Motohama complained, getting Matsuda's attention as he faced his friend. "Could it get any w-"

"Stop! Don't say it!" Matsuda suddenly yelled, scaring Motohama. "Remember the last time Issei said that phrase?"

Motohama frowned for a while, before he remembered what he was getting at.

"Oh, yeah, yeah…" Motohama said. "…I remember…" Indeed. Saying this phrase always made things worse for them. The key is to think positively. Yeah, think positively… like… like…

"AARGH! I can't think of anything!" Motohama lifted his voice in frustration, causing Matsuda to frown at him.

"Think of what?" Matsuda asked annoyed.

"Think of something positive! I can't think of a single thing good that has happened to us!" Motohama complained. Matsuda just looked at his friend with a deadpanned expression.

"Dude, what are you talking about? We're in a prison with good food, good education and sexy wardens. What's there to complain?" Matsuda asked with a critical look.

"That may be true, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that all of this pales in comparison to what Issei is getting. Why does he get all the good things, while we get nothing!" Motohama complained further. Matsuda just looked at him in confusion. Seeing his confusion, Motohama explained.

"Think about it. Issei has… what? A gauntlet called the Boosted Gear that doubles his power every ten seconds, making him super powerful…"

"…Yeah, and because of that he constantly flattens us in our training sessions… then again, we did tell Issei that we wanted to fight him with his Boosted Gear on…" Matsuda continued, half talking to Motohama, half talking to himself.

"Yeah… and I have to admit: having Issei throw us into air with his enhanced power was kind of fun…" Motohama smiled thinking back when they tried "high-jump training" the other day. "Anyway…" Motohama continued with his tirade. "… why is he the one that gets such a cool gear! Why can't we have one? And if that's not enough, he gets a girlfriend, too! And I bet he's making out with Sally as we speak!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile back with Issei…_

"Achoo!" Issei sneezed, as Motohama was talking about him behind his back.

"Oh, bless you! Ehehe…" Sally responded and handed Issei a tissue paper. Issei wiped his nose, before resuming with his kisses.

* * *

 _Back with Motohama and Matsuda…_

"Yeah…" Matsuda nodded, while getting somewhat indignant at the apparent injustice. "Why does Issei get lucky all the sudden…? I mean, why can't we get the same share of luck? We have yet to get one of the three wardens as our girlfriends and Issei is already ahead of us! If only I was in his… uh… never mind…" Matsuda said, his indignation dying down, as he apparently changed his mind about something.

Motohama just raised an eyebrow. "Why? What were you going to say?"

Matsuda just looked at his friend somewhat seriously. "I was going to say I wished I was in his shoes… but let's not forget how he got his powers…"

"Huh! What do you mean? He got his powers becau- Oh…" Motohama trailed off, as he remembered the death of Issei's parents. As if Matsuda read his friend's mind, he nodded to what he was thinking.

"Yup, exactly… I wouldn't want that to happen to me… even with the rewards being a Sacred Gear or a girlfriend…" Matsuda said solemly. The atmosphere got a bit awkward all of the sudden. For a while…

"But that still doesn't change the fact that he got super cool powers and a cute girlfriend ahead of us," Motohama stated.

"Amen to that!" Matsuda agreed with a firm nod. There was no way they were going to let Issei off the hook. They'll get back at him in their next training session.

They've got this new move that they've tried out on a dummy (yes, the facility had such a dummy for life-saving exercises) called the grab-and-air-toss move. Basically, one of them would grab their opponent from behind and the other one would grab their legs and then toss them as high as possible, before the opponent then plummets to the ground.

It's meant to be a finishing move of a sort (one that they practiced on in secret after their punishment last Sunday), but it has proven to be effective.

Oh Issei, he was so going to pay for their humiliation…

"Hey, Matsuda!" a voice called out from the door. Matsuda whirled around only to see Nathalie to his surprise, leaning against the door-frame. Motohama was likewise surprised to see her. What brings her here?

"Uhh… Nathalie… What's up?" Matsuda said, being taking somewhat off guard by the surprise visit. Though when he looked closer, he saw that her face seemed a bit red for reason. She also semmed to be fidgeting a little, like she was going to tell him something awkward or embarrassing.

'What's wrong with her?' Matsuda wondered.

"I… I wanted to talk to you… alone…" Nathalie said quietly, which for Matsuda and Motohama seemed very unusual, since she always was either very cheerful, energetic, firm or angry when she speaks.

"W… what?" Matsuda said in confusion. This caused Nathalie to speak up a bit louder in embarrassment.

"I-It's nothing much really. I just needed to talk to you about something, baka! Just the two of us…" she said in a typical tsundere mode, while looking away.

That attitude of hers almost made Matsuda swoon, though he managed to control himself, before nodding his head.

"Sure! Lead the way!" Matsuda said with a slightly upbeat voice. Nathalie's face radiated with joy at Matsuda's response, something that didn't escape Motohama's notice.

"All right then. Follow me!" Nathalie grinned happily, as she went on ahead. Matsuda following closely behind her.

After the two of them left, Motohama couldn't help but feel left behind – not only literally, but also figuratively. As though Issei wasn't bad enough, now it seems like Nathalie seems to have something for Matsuda! And Matsuda was responding! They were making progress!

"Why you gods!? Why did you have to leave me behind!?" Motohama cried out to the gods and supernatural beings in the sky. "Could it possibly get any worse!?" Motohama fell to his knees in despair as he said that. In all seriousness, all he wanted was- SGVsbG8gTW90b2hhbWEhIFlvdSB0aGluayB3aGF0IHlvdSdyZSBnb2luZyB0aHJvdWdoIGlzIGJhZD8gV2VsbCB0aGlzIGlzIG5vdGhpbmcgY29tcGFyZWQgdG8gdGhlIHRydWUgaG9ycm9ycyB5b3UnbGwgd2l0bmVzcy4uLg==

Huh? What the heck? Who said that? It seemed like a language of some kind. But what…

While Motohama was wondering about that, he found himself seeing the perspective of someone else.

'W-w-what the hell? Where am I? How did I get here!?' he thought in panic, as he looked around. He realized he wasn't in his room anymore. Instead, he was in a dark void of some kind, looking through the eyes of a completely different person, like a person watching a movie in the cinema would.

The unknown person in question seemed to be in a dark place himself, since everything in his vision was dark. The only way Motohama knew he was watching someone else was because 1) just like in a movie theater there was something like a screen before him on some kind of wall and 2) he could hear noises – noises of ragged panting of someone in pain.

Motohama was getting scared. He just wanted to get out of here. He tried looking left and right, up and down, but he didn't see a way out.

Then he saw someone or something moving up to the person he was looking through. Motohama couldn't make the person out, but it had white gloves and certainly had a human-like figure, but it seemed anything but human…

"So…" the person spoke in a sexy and seductive voice – apparently it seems to be a woman. Normally, Motohama would be charmed by a woman with a voice like that, but right now he was frightened to the bone. Whatever she was, she seemed to be a creature that jumped out of some kind of nightmare. "… It has been a while hasn't it… Yuusuke…" the woman spoke while making sounds that sounded like she was licking her lips.

Motohama could hear the person, apparently called Yuusuke, whimpering. He seemed to be scared out of his wits – something that didn't help Motohama right now.

"I would have liked to play with you forever, but it seems like… You've been drained dry… You look so scrawny now… so ugly... ahahaha…" the woman laughed evilly, before continuing. Motohama feared the worst. "…But I'm afraid your time is over… I'm going to have sex with you… for the last time… It's a shame that it had to end so soon… it has only been about less than a week since I've met you… but your life force seems to be on its last legs… so, I think it's time to say goodbye… hahahaha…!" the evil woman laughed. Poor Yuusuke couldn't take it anymore. Motohama saw, as he screamed in absolute horror, as he tried to wrangle himself free, but couldn't. Motohama was equally horrified.

"WHAT IS THIS!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? STOP IT!?" Motohama screamed at the shadow-covered woman on the screen, having lost all self-restraint. He was starting to wet his pants now. He just wanted this nightmare to stop!

Though the most horrifying was yet to come. As Yuusuke tried to struggle, the woman grabbed his chin and forced him to look straight into her face. She moved a bit closer, causing Motohama to move back unconsciously, falling on his rear. Motohama still could not make out her face, but he saw that she had long black hair.

"And as for **you** Motohama Todoriki…" the woman spoke. "Once I'm done with little Yuusuke here… I'm coming for you and your little two friends next… You're going to be my next meal… I can't wait to taste someone like you… Horny young men like you taste even more delicious… hahahaha… AHAHAHAHAHA…" she laughed before the screen shut off, though the woman's laugh and Yuusuke's screams could still be heard.

Motohama was beyond horrified, as he heard the man scream in horror, growing weaker and weaker as time went by. Motohama didn't know many minutes he sat there, just listening to the horror, as his pants stank of urine.

Eventually the sound got cut off and a door opened about 30 meters behind Motohama. Motohama turned around and saw the brightness of his dorm room illuminating the dark void he was in.

Motohama wasted no time. He ran like never before, running like a mad-man towards the door.

He has had enough of the horrors he had witnessed. He couldn't take it anymore!

As he reached the threshold of the door, the gentle light of the dorm room intensified and engulfed Motohama.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, 5:26 pm – Sakabasu Detention Facility, dorm rooms_

"AAARGH!" Motohama woke up, while breaking a cold sweat. He breathed heavily, as he looked around. He sighed in relief. The nightmare was over.

After he calmed himself down after a minute, he noticed his urine-soaked pants. The floor seemed to be stained, too. Disgusted, Motohama took his pants off and put it in the laundry bin. He also decided to take a shower. After all, he smelled of urine.

While he was busy washing off the smell off his body, he realized he had to wash off the carpeted floor as well. That was going to be a piece of work!

But more important than that, Motohama couldn't help but worry.

What the hell was that!? How the hell did this happen?

It seemed so… real… he has had nightmares before… but this… this went beyond what one might call a nightmare…

Motohama never felt such fear before… not even when they faced that revenge-driven police officer.

That woman… who was she? Whatever it was, it could take his mind into unconsciousness and bring him into the land of dreams… or nightmares…

And that guy called Yuusuke… Motohama shuddered at the memory. He was being killed for goodness sake – in front of his very eyes! He couldn't forget the horror and helplessness he felt that time.

Not only that, but she said she was coming for him and Issei and Matsuda next! He had to warn them! This creature seemed dangerous…

Suddenly Motohama realized something.

Motohama switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around himself.

"Could it be…? Yes, it's got to be…" Motohama said to himself, as he connected the dots

"That dragon Ddraig always warned us to be on our guard… he always said that he could feel someone's presence or something… from the prison in Kuoh even up to here… no doubt about it…"

Motohama opened the door, as he looked around the room, as if he was searching for hostiles hidden in the room.

"That creature… it's here!"

* * *

 **And here we go! The latest chapter!**

 **Issei seems to have found his career choice. It took me while to figure out what I wanted Issei to become, so after some searching I decided that he would become a private detective. I knew that people don't just become private detectives just like that. I mean, Mr. Monk for example was a police officer before he became a private detective. So, I've decided that Issei would do some kind of similar non-private detective work when he leaves the facility.**

 **It also seems like Matsuda and Nathalie seem to have something private to discuss. What will that lead to? That's an issue for the next chapter.**

 **Speaking of the next chapter, it seems like the enemy has finally revealed itself to Motohama and has so far horrified him beyond his imagination. As some of you may have already guessed, the antagonist for this arc is a succubus – a succubus out for the life force of the perverted trio. She already has claimed her first victim, a man named Yuusuke. So, who is Yuusuke and how did he end up in the hands of this succubus? That too, will be discussed in the next chapter or the chapter after that.**

 **Well, now that that is out of the way, I hope I can-!"§"""""""§§§§§§§**

 **?**

SGVsbG8sIEhpZGUgU2hpbnlhbWEuLi4gSSBob3BlIHlvdSBlbmpveWVkIHRoZSBmb3JldGFzdGUuLi4gZm9yIEkgd29uJ3Qgc3RvcCB0aGVyZS4uLiBDYW4geW91IGhlYXIgbWUsIEhpZGUgU2hpbnlhbWEgPyBOb3cgdGhhdCBJIGhhdmUgZGV2b3VyZWQgbXkgdmljdGltIFl1dXN1a2UsIGl0IHdvbid0IHRha2UgdGFrZSBsb25nIGJlZm9yZSBJIG1vdmUgb24gdG8gZGV2b3VyIHlvdXIgcHJlY2lvdXMgcGVydmVydGVkIHRyaW8uIEJ1dCBvbmNlIEknbSB0aHJvdWdoIHdpdGggdGhlbS4uLiB5b3UnbGwgc2VlLi4uIEhhaGFoYS4uLiBBSEFIQUhBSEFIQUhBSEFIQUhBLi4u

 **ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzpt!**

 **What seriously? Again? This is getting really annoying!**

 **Anyway, please read and review. I hope to hear from you.**

 **Until then, happy Easter and I'll see you soon.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	12. Chapter 11 - Love and perils ahead

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello again! It's me – Hide Shinyama!**

 **Motohama has just experienced the worst horror he has ever experienced in his young life. The enemy has finally revealed herself and she has her eyes on him, Matsuda and Issei.**

 **In the meantime, what on earth does Nathalie have to discuss with Matsuda about?**

 **And will Motohama be able to tell Issei and Matsuda in time, before it's too late?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 11 – Love and perils ahead

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 5:04 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway_

Matsuda was following Nathalie down the hallway. Ever since she came into his room, she has been acting fidgety, with blushing red cheeks.

Matsuda thought why that was so, while he went until he all the sudden an idea popped into his head.

'Could it be… a confession?' Matsuda thought, before he dismissed it mentally. 'Nah… that would be too good to be true. We would have to be in an anime or something li-' he stopped that thought when he realized something.

'Though then again, supernatural beings exist… and so do Sacred Gears… so… could it be? There might be a possibility that… it might actually happen… Though then again, it might be wishful thinking… maybe I'm in trouble or something… but for what? Could it be that fight from earlier?'

While Matsuda was thinking, he and Nathalie reached an empty classroom. Nathalie opened the door and both of them went in. After a gesture from Nathalie, Matsuda closed the door behind them, giving Nathalie and Matsuda some privacy in the empty classroom.

After the door closed, neither Matsuda nor Nathalie said a word. Matsuda just went to one of the tables and sat down on top of it. Nathalie, on the other hand, was as red as ever and just stood there, looking downwards and fidgeting.

'Wow…' the lolicon-lover thought enamored as he stared at Nathalie. 'She really is cute when she's acting all shy like that.'

Nathalie noticed Matsuda's stare and temporarily returned to her typical angry tsundere attitude. "W-what? What are you looking at?" she demanded flustered and angry.

"N-nothing… nothing…" Matsuda answered hastily. If he was going to be in trouble, he did not want to make it worse than it already is. After Nathalie heard his answer, she just pouted, went to the desk next to Matsuda and sat on it.

It didn't take long before her grumpy expression vanished and got replaced by the same shy and flustered expression that she had before. Nobody said a word, as Matsuda waited for Nathalie to say something. After half a minute, Matsuda wondered why Nathalie didn't say anything, but he looked at her again, she had the same expression that she had before: a reddened face that speaks of shyness, while looking down. She was fidgeting, too, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't for some reason.

Matsuda just narrowed his eyebrows in suspicion.

This was definitely strange.

Normally, Nathalie always spoke out her mind and made sure he listened. But this was the complete opposite of what Matsuda knew of what his cute tsundere tutor would do. So, why was he here?

Seeing that Nathalie was neither doing nor saying something, Matsuda decided to leave. He got up from the table and walked towards the door.

"Ok… I'm going to the bathroom. If you need me ju-" he never got to finish that sentence because Nathalie interrupted him.

"Don't!" Nathalie insisted forcefully. "Stay here. I… I need to speak to you about something…" Nathalie said, her voice becoming softer.

Matsuda turned around and slowly made his way towards the table where Nathalie was sitting on. As he approached her, Nathalie turned her face towards Matsuda and backed away a bit shyly, as she saw how close Matsuda was coming to her.

"W-w-what are you doing?" Nathalie demanded, as Matsuda came to a halt right in front of her. At this proximity, Matsuda noticed once again just how small she was compared to him.

She was about 1,50 m tall, while he was about 1,70 m. The difference in height was obvious. She truly did seem like an elementary school kid, even though she was older than Matsuda. Matsuda also noticed just how cute, maybe even sexy, Nathalie looked. She was wearing a white button-up shirt with a pink collar, a short blue skirt that went above her knees and black nylon leggings with slippers. If she just took off those slippers and just wrapped her legs around his waist, it would be paradise…

"I said: What are you doing, Matsuda?" Nathalie demanded a bit more forcefully. Matsuda shook out of his perverted imaginations and answered her question.

"Well… I couldn't help that you were acting a bit strange just now… is something wrong?" Matsuda asked. It was somewhat true. Matsuda did want to know why she was acting so strangely, though he (of course) didn't mention his perverted fantasies.

"N-nothing's wrong…" Nathalie replied, as she looked away. "I just wanted to talk to you that's all," Nathalie insisted.

"But if that's the case, how come you haven't said a word since we came here?" Matsuda asked.

"Who said we didn't say anything? We're obviously talking!" Nathalie replied. Her reply caused Matsuda to raise an eyebrow.

'Hoho… look at that… She's trying to play clever by avoiding the issue… I see…' Matsuda smirked inwardly. It's obvious she did not have the initiative to speak, so Matsuda was going to take the initiative.

"Ok… What are we going to talk about, Nathalie? Am I in trouble because of the fight earlier today or something?" Matsuda asked innocently.

"N-no! You're not… It has nothing to do with that…" Nathalie replied a bit loudly, then timidly.

"Then what? Is it about my grades?" Matsuda asked again.

"No! It has nothing to do with that either!" Nathalie replied loudly.

"Then why am I here? Is it about my career choice?" Matsuda pressed her.

"No! Not that either!" she started shouting.

"Then is it about your smaller boob complex?" Matsuda asked her provocatively.

Nathalie froze in shock of what she just heard. Did Matsuda honestly just ask her that? How did he know? Did he watch her, as she stared her the other girls in jealousy? How on earth…

"How did you know that?" Nathalie whispered in horror. Matsuda didn't fail to notice the look of horror in her face. And started to panic. He just wanted to provoke her, but it seemed like his prank went a bit too far.

"Umm… well… you see… ehehe… I've got to run…" Matsuda simply stated, before he sprinted towards the door and run the hell out of here. But Nathalie had to be some kind of beast or something because she managed to react fast enough to get up from the table and get in front of the door, before Matsuda could. He gulped, as he saw Nathalie look at him with a furious face.

"I said: HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT!?" Nathalie yelled at Matsuda, causing him to flinch back and move backwards.

"I… uhhh…" Matsuda tried to speak, but dread overfilled his mind, as he tried to look for a way to escape the angry tsundere. But before he could, Nathalie just grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the nearest wall.

"How… did… you… know…?" she demanded slowly, but threateningly. Seeing no other choice, Matsuda spilled the beans.

"All right! You always mumble to yourself about big Julie's boobs and stare at her as though she's committed the biggest sin possible. You do the same to Monique and Sally. That's how I know, ok? So, can you please let me go?" Matsuda pleaded. But to his disappointment, Nathalie only shoved him further against the wall, which is impressive given how small she is compared to Matsuda.

"NOT… until you promise me… NOT… to tell anyone about this," she answered dangerously.

'Boy, this girl is scary as f***," Matsuda thought terrified, yet, nevertheless, tried to reason with her.

"Look… I don't see what your problem is…really…" Matsuda reasoned, causing Nathalie to raise an eyebrow to that. "I mean, what's wrong with having small boobs? It's not like the world is going to end, right?" What were supposed to be reassuring words just came off as an insult to Nathalie who just slammed Matsuda against the wall again.

"Everything is wrong! I'm not even supposed to have small boobs!" Nathalie shouted angrily at Matsuda.

"Why…? What's wrong…?" Matsuda asked a bit dazed from the slamming. He just hoped she didn't do it again.

"WHY!? Because I'm 19 years old for goodness sake! I'm supposed to be a mature woman now; instead I still look like an elementary school kid!" Nathalie ranted, as tears started to form around her eyes.

"All the other girls have a well-endowed chest and they've either grown to their fullest potential or still are growing… while mine…" she let Matsuda go, as she turned around and clasped her hands together as a helpless maiden would when she is in distress. "…remain as flat as ever…" Nathalie said, as she started sobbing.

Matsuda brushed the dust off the clothes, as he looked at Nathalie with astonishment. He couldn't help but feel sorry after hearing her story. Yet at the same time… he couldn't help but feel that what she said was wrong.

No, it wasn't a feeling… It was wrong. No doubt – and he had to do something about it.

He quickly grabbed Nathalie by the arm and shoved her against the wall, similar to how Nathalie shoved him against the wall seconds ago. She yelped, as Matsuda used his other arm to grab her other arm, holding her pinned against the wall.

Nathalie looked at Matsuda in shock of the sudden action. Why…?

Then she saw it. She saw the angry clenching of the teeth that he had, while his eyes were covered by a shadow. He seemed rather angry, but why? Matsuda was not the one who was being offended here, but Nathalie. So why…?

"Don't ever say that again…" Matsuda whispered dangerously. Now it was Nathalie's turn to be scared.

"W-what…?" Nathalie asked frightened.

"Don't ever belittle yourself like that!" Matsuda said a bit louder, causing Nathalie to look away scared. But Matsuda wasn't finished yet.

"Nathalie, look at me!" Matsuda said firmly. Nathalie hesitated, but slowly turned to look at him. She saw how close Matsuda's face was to her own, yet that didn't seem to faze him, unlike her. She also noticed the seriousness in Matsuda's face. He seemed… different somehow. He came off as a mature and not the carefree kid, she had grown to know over the past week. And because of his change in demeanor, Nathalie decided to pay attention to what Matsuda had to say.

"I don't care what boob-size you have! In fact, I'd rather not see you have bigger boobs. And you know why?" Matsuda asked, causing Nathalie to shake her head. "Because to me, you're the perfect girl just the way you are!" Nathalie's eyes widened in shock. What did he just say? Did Matsuda just call her perfect?

"W-what? But… My boobs…" Nathalie fumbled in her words.

"They're small, so what?" Matsuda asked rhetorically. "You're a small person. Big boobs wouldn't fit you. Think about it! Imagine if you had… say… Julie's boobs for example. How do you think that would be like at **your** size?"

"Well… that…" Nathalie tried to imagine it, but the more she thought of it, the more weirded out she felt. She imagined herself walking around with these huge pieces of flesh on her tiny body… ugh… for one, not only did the imagination of it gross her out, but walking around with day in and day out would kill her back.

"Not very good, huh?" Matsuda remarked. Nathalie just nodded in agreement, though she did have one objection.

"Well… I didn't say I wanted to have them at Julie's size… I just wanted them to be a bit bigger…" Nathalie insisted.

"Well… it will come by time… after all… You are a girl and girls have estrogen. Estrogen makes them grow, so don't worry!" Matsuda stated. "In the mean time you've got so many things to make up for it! I mean, let's take your hair for example."

"My hair?" Nathalie asked confused.

"Yeah! I love the way you make your hair. Your hair looks so cute. I can't imagine you looking better without them!" Nathalie was taken aback at what Matsuda said about her hair. Come to think about it, she never thought much about her hair. She just put it in a twin tail style and added hair clips every day – nothing special really. To think that Matsuda would love something like this…

Nathalie's heart went wild. She felt overwhelming happiness at what Matsuda had just told her. Nobody had ever told her the things he had told her. If only she had been told these things sooner, then she wouldn't have had this inferiority complex…

Then Matsuda came along…

She couldn't believe it… She wanted it to be true, but she still needed to confirm one last thing.

"Hey, Matsuda…" Nathalie spoke up, as she blushed.

"Yeah?" Matsuda replied with a smile.

"Did you really mean that… about my hair?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course, I do. It may not be the only thing I love about you, but it certainly is one of them," Matsuda replied with a chuckle. "I could go on about all the other things that I love about you. Like your tsundere character, your petite body, your cute clothes, your legs, you- hmppf!" he couldn't continue because Nathalie suddenly kissed him on the lips despite being pinned against the wall.

Matsuda was shocked by Nathalie's actions; nevertheless, he gave in and weakened his grip on Nathalie's arms. Using that to her advantage, she jumped at the bald-haired teen and wrapped her arms and legs around him.

It was pure bliss, as the two of them kissed each other repeatedly. They felt like all the desires and passions that had built up were unleashed at that moment. All they wanted to do was to enjoy each other's intimacy, as they hugged and kissed each other. Eventually, Matsuda carried Nathalie to the teacher's desk, where he lay down on top of her, as they continued their lovemaking.

After a few minutes, they stopped their kissing. Both of them were panting to get some oxygen, yet they were still smiling. The way they kissed each other… it was hot! They've never felt this way in their life before. They just wanted to savor this moment for all eternity. But Matsuda still had a question.

"Hey, Nathalie?" Matsuda said, as he moved his lips near her left ear.

"Ahh… what?" Nathalie moaned, as she felt Matsuda's hot breath against her ear. It felt so ticklish, yet so arousing at the same time.

"Did you call me down here, just so that you could make out with me?" Matsuda said flirtatiously, kissling her ear passionately. Nathalie moaned some more. Hopefully, doing this wasn't going to leave marks on her.

"Well… to be honest, I wanted to confess to you…" Nathalie admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"Ahh… So that's why you were so cagey earlier," Matsuda said playfully. "I've got to say: This is the best confession ever… And… I don't think I need to say that I accept your confession – with all my heart."

Nathalie didn't say anything, she just faced Matsuda again and kissed him over and over again. They flipped over, this time with Nathalie on top of Matsuda and Matsuda lying with his back on the desk. Matsuda moved his hands towards Nathalie's legs, feeling the fabric of her nylon leggings. Seeing that Matsuda liked the touch of her leggings, she and Matsuda rearranged themselves. Matsuda held her close to his body, while Nathalie wrapped her legs around his waist. They continued to kiss each other for five minutes, while Matsuda felt Nathalie's legs and rear under her skirt.

As their lust grew deeper and more intense, they couldn't wait anymore. They wanted to do it.

"Nathalie…?" Matsuda panted completely aroused by the girl in his arms.

"What is it, Matsuda…?" Nathalie replied. Panting in lust at the young bald pervert, who she was clinging on tightly.

"Can we take it… to your room?" Matsuda asked, his eyes pleading her to say yes.

Nathalie understood what Matsuda wanted and she herself desired the same thing. She nodded in agreement. Matsuda wasted no time in carrying Nathalie out with her legs still wrapped around him. After some directions from the pink-haired warden and some caution on the way (since none of the two wanted to be discovered by any of the others), they went up the stairs and arrived at Nathalie's room which was just above the perverted trio's dorm room.

They threw themselves on the bed, immediately took off their clothes and… well… let's just say Matsuda and Nathalie lost their V-card shortly thereafter.

After a half an hour of love, lust and passion, they lay down next to each other, naked and exhausted. Eventually they started feeling sleepy, not caring about whether Monique was going to find them and scold them for not appearing at dinner. All they cared for was the presence of the other… and the time they were going to spend with each other in the future…

As Matsuda and Nathalie drifted off to sleep, Matsuda and Nathalie… just wanted to be with each other forever… along with the warmth of their bodies…

What none of them knew was that someone had been watching them this entire time, lurking in the shadows of the facility.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 5:38 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway_

"Huff… huff… puff…" Motohama huffed and puffed, as he ran through the hallway. He had just finished finding some clothes and getting dressed, before he ran through the hallway. Why was Motohama doing that? Well, because he was desperate to find anyone in this seemingly haunted facility – anyone who he could tell of the imminent danger that he found out not too long ago. That was twice as true when it came to Matsuda and Issei. That creature that has been stalking the three of them has its eyes on them – no doubt about it! Motohama didn't know what it was, but whatever it was, it fed off the life-force of its victims, like a vampire does when sucking blood.

But regardless, he needed to find someone now! The fear of being devoured by a creature like that made every moment by himself unbearable. That's why he needed to…

"OOF!"

"WAH!"

Suddenly, as Motohama turned around the corner in a hurry, he bumped into someone. They both gave out a yelp in surprise, as they hit each other and fell to the ground. While both of them rubbed their heads in pain, Motohama was the first to look up and see whom he had bumped into.

"Issei!" Motohama exclaimed happily. Indeed, it was none other than Issei Hyoudou, one of his best friends in the whole world. He was so happy that he immediately hugged him, much to Issei's surprise.

"Issei…" Motohama began, crying tears of happiness. "You don't know how glad I am to see you, am…" Issei only looked at him with slight discomfort, though he did wonder why Motohama was crying. Did something happen to him, while he was gone?

"Ummm… dude… could you let go of me…?" Issei asked, controlling the need to yell at him for his insane action. Motohama complied, calming himself down. They both of them and stood up, brushing the dust off their clothes.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you!?" Issei proclaimed. "And why are you behaving so strangely?"

"Well… I…" Motohama began, but then noticed some kiss marks on his face, much to his consternation. "Issei… are those kiss marks…?" Motohama asked with a slight edge in his tone. Issei widened his eyes at what Motohama was pointing out.

'Oh, nuts! Next time I should tell Sally to tone it down with the kissing!' Issei thought panicked. He tried to make up an explanation.

"Uhhh… well… you see…" Issei fidgeted, shifting his weight on his left foot. "…those are… uhh…"

"YOU MADE OUT WITH SALLY AGAIN, DIDN'T YOU!?" Motohama shouted jealously. Seeing that he was found out, Issei raised his hands up in defeat.

"Ok, you got me! I made out with my girlfriend. So what?" Issei asked rhetorically. That caused Motohama to get even angrier.

"SO WHAT!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MATSUDA AND I FELT WHEN WE FOUND OUT YOU HAD A GIRLFRIEND, WHILE WE WERE STILL SINGLE!?" Motohama screamed, causing Issei to shield his eyes from the saliva that came from Motohama's mouth.

"Ughh… dude… Don't spi-" but Issei never really got to finish his sentence because Motohama wasn't finished yet.

"NO, I'M NOT FINISHED YET! AND IF THAT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH, MATSUDA JUST GOT CALLED BY NATHALIE TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING IN PRIVATE! EVEN HE GOT AHEAD OF ME WHEN IT CAME TO GETTING A GIRL!" Motohama bellowed. Issei tried his best to calm his friend down, as he stood his ground.

"Calm down man, I'm sure it's no-"

"SHUT UP!" Issei got interrupted by Motohama again. "AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, I WAS SUDDENLY TAKEN BY SOME KIND OF CREATURE INTO SOME KIND OF NIGHTMARE! I HAD TO SEE HOW IT SUCKED THE LIFE OUT OF SOMEONE… WHILE DECLARING THAT IT WOULD COME AFTER US NEXT!"

"What!?" Issei exclaimed in surprise. The having no girlfriend part, he understood perfectly. But what Motohama said, about a creature killing someone and then claiming to try to come after them next… What on earth?

"What are you talking about? Tell me everything," Issei demanded. Motohama had been waiting for this and immediately began to tell Issei the horrors he had to witness in his trance/delusion/vision. Issei listened to Motohama with great interest and worry, as Motohama told him everything. He looked so… panicked… horrified as he narrated everything – especially about the part where the creature, or whatever it or she was, threatened to kill them.

Issei had no doubt. What Motohama went through was real…

"… and then I woke up. By the time I woke up I… wet my pants a bit… took a shower, changed my clothes and rushed to find someone I could talk to. The rest of the story… well, I guess you know…" Motohama finished his story.

Issei only dropped a sweat at the part where Motohama wet his pants.

'Yup… No doubt. The story is real,' Issei thought. No way, anybody would come out and say that they wet their pants just like that. But Issei decided to put that aside for the moment and focus on the matter at hand.

"Motohama," Issei addressed his fear-stricken friend. "Do you have any idea what that creature was?" Motohama shook his head sadly.

"No… it was too dark. All I know was that it was a woman with long hair and that it sucked the life force out of the poor guy's soul. May he rest in peace by the way…" Issei just nodded in agreement. A horrible way to die, even if the woman may have been sexy and taking your virginity…

"Oh yeah, now I remember!" Motohama spoke up. Issei perked up at that.

"What? What do you remember?" Issei asked intrigued.

"Well… I'm not sure… but I think I know how that thing knows our names!" Motohama explained.

"How?" Issei asked fervently. "How does it know our names?"

"It's just a guess, but my guess is that this is the same creature that has been following us since Kuoh Police Prison," Motohama revealed, causing Issei to step back in shock.

"You mean that thing that Ddraig sensed? You mean that was who you saw?" Issei exclaimed in surprise to which Motohama nodded affirmatively. Issei was getting worried. Ddraig was right on the money. They should have been on their guard.

"Issei… what should we do… I don't like this…" Motohama said scared.

"Well… I… Ddraig?" Issei called out to the Heavenly Red Dragon. "I could use some help here."

Immediately the Boosted Gear appeared on Issei's left arm and Ddraig's voice was audible to the two of them.

 **[Indeed, you do…]** Ddraig said. **[And thanks to Motohama here, I finally know what that creature is…]**

Both Issei and Motohama widened their eyes in surprise.

"You do?" Issei replied astonished.

"Well, tell us! What is it?" Motohama said urgently.

 **[A woman that can bring Motohama into the realm of dreams or illusions and suck the life-force out of its victims through sex… there's no doubt about it.]** Ddraig said, before making a dramatic pause. Issei and Motohama waited expectantly for Ddraig's answer.

[We are dealing… with a succubus!] Ddraig revealed.

"A succubus?" Issei asked.

"You mean those sexy creatures in anime that live of having sex with men, but really… oh… man…" Motohama groaned at his own obliviousness. "Why didn't I think of this before!"

 **[Indeed, Motohama here is right. A succubus does exactly that. First it arouses its victims by infiltrating their dreams and giving them erotic, but pleasurable dreams, then they have sex with them to drain their energy or absorb their life-force through their victim's arousal by some other means. Eventually, after some amount of time, their victims become so weakened that the succubus will take advantage of their weakness and drain them dry, before moving on to their next victim. Some of them are capable of doing multiple ones at once.]** Ddraig explained. This sent shivers down the two boys' spines – especially Issei.

Now that he thought about it. That reminded him of his first night at Sakabasu Detention Facility. He also had erotic dreams that night (about Monique) and come to think of it, Ddraig did say that day that somebody tried to interfere into his dreams and absorb his energy… Wait, could it be…

"Ddraig, do you think that time last Saturday night… was the Succubus trying to attack me!?" Issei exclaimed shocked. Motohama looked at Issei in confusion when he said that. Saturday night? What was he… but Matsuda quickly remembered the events that happened that night and just like Issei came to the same conclusion as him.

'Now, I understand… What Ddraig just said about Succubi… that fits the exact same attack pattern of the intruder in Issei's dreams!' Motohama thought horrified.

 **[Indeed, I am… It seems like the succubi has made its move and has declared us open game. Now the question is: How are we going to strike back?]** Ddraig asked.

"Forget about striking back," Motohama spoke up. "How are we supposed to find that succubus?" he looked around, trying to sense their enemy, lurking in this facility.

"I don't know…" Issei answered. "…for all we know, it could be right around the corner nearby or somewhere else entirely. Ever since Kuoh Police Prison it has managed to appear at one moment and erase its presence at the next. Isn't that right Ddraig?"

 **[Yes, partner.]** Ddraig agreed. **[I am able to sense the presences of supernatural creatures of all kinds, but some of them can be elusive like this one…]**

Motohama did not feel any better after hearing this. Not having a girlfriend was bad enough, but not finding the enemy out to get you was even more troubling – more so, if it's trying to kill you slowly and gruesomely. Then again… maybe dying by a sexy creature like that… may not be so bad after all…

While he was thinking about it… Issei snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Dude, earth to Motohama!"

"W-w-what?" Motohama asked startled.

"You seemed like you were daydreaming a while ago. Everything ok?" Issei asked.

"Oh… yeah… I'm ok…" Motohama replied, feeling down because of everything that has happened.

Issei noticed his downcast look and tried to cheer him up. "Dude, whatever happens, you're not alone, ok? There's Matsuda… me… and Ddraig here!" Issei said with a grin, raising up the Boosted Gear. "Look, we're all in this together… we'll beat this succubus and get out peace back… And nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop us," Issei said confidently. Surprised, Motohama looked upon Issei's face. It was full of confidence and optimism. Motohama wasn't sure how Issei and Ddraig were planning to take their enemy down, but given their previous life-and-death experience at Kuoh Police Prison and Issei's charisma right now… There seemed to be a glimmer of hope…

Motohama smiled and took Issei's hands and clasped them between his hands. The gauntlet of the Boosted Gear was kind of cold and hard, but Motohama didn't care right now. Issei was taken back a bit at Motohama's actions, but then he noticed Motohama beaming with happiness.

"Issei… I… Thank you very much, man… If it wasn't for you… I'd be so lost…" Motohama said like a shy school girl in distress. Issei smiled upon hearing this and looked into Motohama's eyes tenderly, his hands still linked to Motohama's.

"Hey, no problem… We're friends… are we not?" Issei replied.

"Issei…" Motohama said happily, tears of happiness almost coming out of his eyes.

"Motohama…" Issei said kindly. The two of them stood there, looking into each other's eyes… nothing could stop their moment of friendship and manly tenderness…

 **[Haah… haah… haah… haah… more… please go faster… put it deeper into me… haah… haah… haah… haah…]**

…except Ddraig, of course.

Seeing how their manly moment got ruined, they glared at the Sacred Gear angrily, their teeth gritted.

""F***, YOU DDRAIG!"" Issei and Motohama both shouted in unison.

"YOU RUINED OUR MANLY FRIENDSHIP MOMENT!" Motohama shouted.

"THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT YOU'VE DONE THIS! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Issei demanded indignantly.

 **[It's not my fault, if you act like you're both gay.]** Ddraig replied in a teasing manner, before laughing his butt off.

Angered at Ddraig's annoying sense of humor, Issei dismissed the Boosted Gear and it dismissed itself in a flash.

They sighed, relieved that that troll of a dragon won't bother them again for the time being. They just hoped Ddraig would cut that out in the future.

"Anyway, thanks… Issei. I'm glad that you're my friend," Motohama thanked Issei. Issei blushed a bit.

"Yeah… thanks, man…" Issei replied sheepishly. "I just hope Ddraig doesn't do that again in the future."

"I agree. But anyway, I think we should tell Matsuda about this… and the wardens, too!" Matsuda added quickly. But surprisingly, Issei shook his head.

"I'd rather not get the wardens involved. I mean, Ddraig did tell us to keep the supernatural a secret. I mean we shouldn't get innocent bystanders involved, right?" Issei noted. Motohama looked a bit downcast, but reluctantly nodded his head to what Issei said.

"You've got a point…" Motohama conceded.

"So, it's settled. We're going to head out and find Matsuda, tell him what we've learned and prepare a counterstrategy to fight the succubus. We'll also make sure that Monique and the others don't know anything about this," Issei declared.

"Yes, sir!" Motohama agreed with his hand raised in a salute.

"Make sure that we don't find out what, boys?" Monique said, suddenly appearing from behind them. This startled Issei and Motohama and caused them to turn around to face Monique, who had a cheery smile on her face.

"N-n-nothing! Nothing at all…" Issei stuttered because of Monique's sudden appearance.

"We… we were just talking typical ecchi, hentai and porn stuff… The kind that you wouldn't want to know… ehehehe…" Motohama added nervously. Monique on the other hand continued smiling for a bit, before giggling.

"Oh, I see… I just hope you don't focus too hard on pornography… it's not very healthy for your minds… teehee…" Monique advised Issei and Motohama.

"Uhh… yeah… Thanks Monique…" Motohama replied nervously with a smile.

"No, problem. Anyway, I've got some work to do," Monique said as she went on straight ahead to the end of the hall. Issei and Motohama looked on as she walked away.

'Whew… that was close!' Issei thought relieved, as she turned around the corner.

Before she disappeared around the corner, she looked back at the boys once more.

"Oh yes! Before I forget, I saw Matsuda not too long ago. He was carrying Nathalie with her legs wrapped around his waist. They seemed quite excited to be honest – more like they were desperate to find some place private. Last I saw, they went up the stairway into Nathalie's room, if you know what I mean… Her room is right that way," she pointed in the direction of the staircase. "Good luck, teehee…" Monique giggled, before disappearing behind the corner.

Issei and Motohama didn't say or do anything as they listened to everything Monique had to say about their friend and his whereabouts. After she had finished, they were still dumbstruck as they let her words and their meaning sink into their heads, before finally responding.

""WHAT!?"" the two of them shouted to the whole world in outrage.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 5:55 pm – Meanwhile in Nathalie's room_

Matsuda was currently lying naked in bed next to Nathalie, the love of his life, as he was dreaming about him and her making love with each other. Yes, despite being exhausted and Nathalie lying next to him, both of them cuddling each other in their sleep, Matsuda was still dreaming about Nathalie about making love with her in his sleep. This was evidenced by his hips being gyrated against Nathalie, who seemed to enjoy it as much as Matsuda did.

But what none of them knew, was that Matsuda was going to face one of the biggest threats to his life yet…

* * *

 _In Matsuda's dreams_

Matsuda was standing on a white ferry, looking into the wide ocean. The sky was beautiful and the breeze blew pleasantly into his face. The temperature itself was warm, which is why Matsuda was wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt, shorts and sandals with straps.

But the best part of it all was that Nathalie was standing right beside him, clinging at his right arm and leaning her head against his shoulders. Nathalie herself was also wearing summer clothes, namely a white and pink summer dress and sandals.

While the ferry was cruising on the ocean, Matsuda and Nathalie turned their eyes towards each other and shared a passionate kiss. Even though they've been kissing each other non-stop each one kiss feels like a blissful eternity.

After finishing their kiss, Nathalie giggled in a girly manner. "You really can't get enough of me, can you?"

"No, I really can't…Nat," Matsuda replied, calling her by her nickname with a grin.

"Matsuda…" Nathalie said lovingly. Matsuda immediately overwhelmed her with a kiss, putting his tongue into her mouth. They both relished the feeling until Nathalie moved away from Matsuda. Matsuda was surprised that she moved away so abruptly, but then noticed that her face became somewhat serious.

"What's wrong?" Matsuda asked concerned.

"I…" Nathalie started, but she didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she left Matsuda's embrace and walked up to another part of the railing, looking out into the far ocean. Matsuda didn't say a thing, as he was still waiting for Nathalie to explain.

"I…" Nathalie said again. But again, she didn't say anymore than that. What was wrong with her?

She turned her face to look at Matsuda with a rather sad face.

[…]

[…]

"I'm sorry…" Nathalie finally said.

"What?" Matsuda asked dumbfounded. He wanted to know more, Nathalie vanished, leaving Matsuda all by himself on the ferry.

"Nat?" Matsuda called out, hoping for a response. But there was none.

He looked around, desperately trying to find his pink-haired lover, but he couldn't find her. Matsuda ran around and below deck but couldn't find her there either.

"Nat?" Matsuda called out again. Again, no response.

Matsuda was starting to get panicky, running up on deck once again to find her. Once he got up there, however, he noticed rumbling in the distance. He turned to look and saw gray clouds and flashes of lighting at the horizon.

'Oh great! First, Nathalie is gone and now there's a thunderstorm!' Matsuda complained. However, to make matters worse, is the fact that the thunder seemed to be coming towards the boat at a rather unnatural speed. In fact, the clouds moved so fast that it was only a matter of minutes until they got here. Matsuda did not like this one bit.

Indeed, the gray storm clouds did come and were covering the sky in darkness in a matter of minutes. The thunder and lighting bolts flashing around weren't making things easier for Matsuda as he prepared to go below deck. Before Matsuda could do so… he sensed something coming from behind him…

Matsuda instinctively jumped out of the way, only to see something whizz past him. It almost hit him.

Whatever it was, it hit the outside of the ferry cabin. Matsuda looked in shock at what he saw. It seemed to be some kind of football-sized shark head (kind of like the Pokémon Sharpedo) and what's worse, is that it still tried to attack him, biting as it flopped on deck. Matsuda flinched back in fear, but then he sensed some more coming from the left and the right. He ducked, as four shark heads one by one tried to sink their teeth into him, but Matsuda managed to avoid all of them. However, none of them seemed to helpless on deck, as they flopped on deck to get him.

'Seriously, whatever those things are, these things are stubborn! It seems like they won't go out without a fight. I need to do something… now! But what could I…' He looked around and saw a white parasol standing to his right. 'That umbrella will have to do…' Matsuda thought, as he picked it up the unopened umbrella and tried to get a hold of it. The moment he did, another shark head flew straight towards him. Matsuda managed to swing the parasol and hit the shark head back into the ocean.

"Yes! It worked!" Matsuda exclaimed happily. But he couldn't revel in his victory for long, for one of the shark heads on deck launched itself towards Matsuda. Just like the last one, he smacked it right back into the ocean. One of the other shark heads, however, used this moment of distraction to attack him from behind and bit his left shoulder.

"ARGHHH! AGHHH!" Matsuda screamed in pain, as the shark head's fangs sunk down into him. The pain was agonizing, Matsuda never felt such pain before. Seeing Matsuda in pain, the other three shark heads used this opportunity to sink their teeth into him as well.

Luckily, Matsuda was able to pull himself together and smack the first one back into the ocean. The second and third ones, he battered on the deck floor until they died, bloodying the parasol somewhat. And as for the last one on his shoulder, he jumps and makes sure to land on the shark head. It hurt a lot since the shark head clamped down its jaw out of reflex one last time the moment it got crushed.

Matsuda groaned in pain, as the rain started to fall and the thunderstorm continued to rumble. But while he tried to get up, more shark heads jumped into the ferry. Ten, eleven, twelve… there were too many of them! Matsuda had no chance against them.

He moved as fast as he could below deck, clutching his injured shoulder with his right hand and the parasol with his left one. But even then, more shark heads were hopping in below deck, so he changed his mind. The only way he could go now was the cabin on deck.

Thus, Matsuda wasted no time. He moved as quickly as he could towards the cabin and shut the windowed door tight. The shark heads hopped and hit against the door but couldn't break it.

Matsuda sighed in relief. He let go of the parasol and checked his wound. He could see the marks of the shark bite and the blood flowing freely from it. What a pain… This was supposed to be dream come true, right? How on earth did it become a nightmare…?

Once again, the circumstances would not let poor Matsuda rest, for suddenly he heard a big thud from outside – big enough to rock the boat! Then another one! And another one!

And then a crunch came from below!

"WHAT THE HECK!" Matsuda yelped, as he looked below. He also thought he heard water flowing in from below… His worst expectations came true when he felt the ferry came to a halt and started to…

"THE BOAT IS SINKING!" Matsuda cried out, when he saw the water "rising" from outside his window. This wasn't good! Matsuda wasn't even sure that he would survive this! But worst of all… What was attacking the boat from below!?

More crunches came and Matsuda saw fearfully how huge jaws started to break through the cabin floor right next to him. He moved as far away as he could, but now his options were limited.

He was injured, outside the shark heads were trying to break into the cabin, the ferry was sinking and there was an unknown monster of some kind trying to break up the ferry. And let's not forget that water was already coming into the ferry!

Again, the jaws broke through the cabin floor. Matsuda could see at that moment that it was some kind of huge shark, and not some shark head, breaking though. This caused more water to seep through into the cabin, leaving Matsuda knee-deep into the water.

Matsuda smiled sadly. There was so much that he still wanted to do in life… but then again…

"Well… at least I lost my V-card before I died…" Matsuda thought

Matsuda was about to give up. There was no way he could get out. All he could do was just wait for the shark or the shark heads to eat him, right?

"No way!" Matsuda exclaimed, as he smashed the window with his parasol and despite his injuries managed to climb out the window and unto the roof with his parasol. The shark broke through the ferry one last time, causing the ferry to sink even faster.

The rain was continuing to fall and the thunderstorm continued to roll, as Matsuda took up his parasol one last time… and make his final stand.

"Guys… Nathalie… I'm sorry…" Matsuda apologized mentally to the people he loved and cared about, as the bald-headed perverted trio member readied himself in a stance to fight the shark.

Suddenly, however…

[Matsuda!] a voice cried out from above. Matsuda stopped and looked up in surprise.

He thought he heard a voice calling his name. Coinciding with it, the gray clouds rolled away and the rain and thunderstorm subsided, revealing the sun in all its glory. It was as if the sun… no heaven was calling…

[Matsuda!] another voice called again.

It was as if those voices were calling on him to take heart. For he was not alone…

[He's not waking up! Punch him, Issei!] the first voice sounded.

Wait… What did he just…?

Before Matsuda could finish that sentence mentally two things happened:

One: The shark broke through the roof, revealing its hideous jaws to Matsuda.

And two: A giant red crimson fist came from the sky and smashed onto the boat – including the shark, the shark heads and Matsuda, giving the latter a blow to the face.

* * *

 _Back in the land of the living…_

"It's not working! Punch him again!" Motohama urged Issei. Issei nodded and readied another punch… with the Boosted Gear!?

"WHOA! WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU DOING!?" Matsuda screamed, as he moved up his arms to defend himself. Issei managed to halt his punch, before it could hit him. What on earth were they thinking!?

"Thank god… you're awake!" Issei said in relief.

"What do you mean? And why on earth did you punch me, huh? Were you trying to kill me!?" Matsuda said indignantly.

"We were going to… when we found out that you were going to Nathalie's room with Nathalie in your arms!" Motohama added with equal indignation.

"Yeah! And judging by the looks of it, you've been having sex, haven't you!?" Issei pointed out angrily. Matsuda looked at himself and realized that he was completely naked, except for the bed-sheets covering his lower body. Embarrassed, he pulled the covers over him. But then he realized something was missing…

"Eh? Where's Nathalie…?" Matsuda looked around confused.

"Not here," Motohama stated with a harsh look. "The moment we got in here, she was already gone. Not that you don't have some explaining to do!"

"Yeah!" Issei added. "How did you end up with Nathalie, huh? How did you get her to have sex with you?"

Matsuda didn't answer. Instead, he looked away, wishing he could escape through the window or something…

'Why me...?' Matsuda thought woefully. This was the best day of his life… but maybe also his worst day…

 **[That's enough!]** Ddraig suddenly announced, the Boosted Gear appearing on Issei's arm. **[Right now, there are more important matters to discuss!]** All three of them looked at the Sacred Gear in surprise.

"What do you mean, Ddraig?" Issei asked confused.

"Yeah, and please don't make any gay jokes about this situation here, ok?" Motohama added snidely.

 **[I'd love to, but the situation is serious, right now. Young Matsuda,]** Ddraig turned his attention to the unclothed perverted trio member. **[Did you have lustful, erotic dreams just now, before they turned into a nightmare of sorts where you are attacked?]**

Matsuda widened his eyes in shock. "H-how did you…?"

 **[It doesn't matter how I know! Now, did you or not have them?]** Ddraig asked again.

Matsuda gulped, before nodding his head.

 **[Hmm… so my suspicions have been confirmed…]** Ddraig stated.

"What? What suspicions?" Issei asked.

 **[Remember the dream-turned-nightmare last Saturday**?] Ddraig asked.

"Yeah, I do… so?" Issei asked.

 **[Judging by what Matsuda just told us about his dream pattern, his thrashing and struggling in his sleep and your own nightmare last Saturday, I can safely say…]** Ddraig dramatically paused, getting everyone's attention.

 **[…the succubus was here… and it has struck once again!]**

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 11 of The Lone Vigilante Issei!**

 **Ho, boy! Nathalie and Matsuda… Now that is one interesting couple. I figured out that Nathalie might act like a typical shy tsundere here and thus had the dialogue go this way… and as a result, they already had sex.**

 **Where will this lead? Where did Nathalie go before Matsuda woke up?**

 **In the meantime, Issei, Ddraig and Motohama have gotten closer to the truth. Now all they need to do is find out where the culprit is and defeat her. And how will the perverted trio catch the culprit?**

 **Well let me tell you this: They won't! There's no way anyone could ever take on a being such as a succubus! Those three horndogs will end up as a delightful meal to the succubus… Those three are so juicy and horny… and those three are so naïve to think that they could even do so much as find-**

 **[…]**

 **[…]**

 **[…]**

 **Wait a minute, what was that? Why on earth would I claim something as ludicrous as that? This is really getting strange…**

 **Now that I think about it, I have the feeling that something is definitely wrong here…**

 **This has happened before over the last few chapters, so there's definitely a pattern here.**

 **It's like someone has hijacked my story… But who on earth could it be…**

 **Whatever the case, I guess I'll just have to wait it out… if it doesn't happen again, all is well… but if it does…**

 **Anyway, next time Ddraig, Issei and Motohama will fill in Matsuda on what they've found out. Will we find out more about Yuusuke? And that succubus? And what's its connection with this prison facility?**

 **Find out next time.**

 **Please read and review.**

 **Until then, see you soon…**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	13. Chapter 12 - A major clue

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello again! It's me – Hide Shinyama!**

 **Sorry, I've been a bit behind schedule. Lots of things have been keeping me up lately, but I'm back!**

 **Matsuda has had sex, being the first one to lose his V-card among the perverted trio.**

 **Issei and Motohama find out about the enemy's plot and about Matsuda's actions. They race to find him and find him struggling against a dangerous nightmare. They save him from it and Matsuda finds out that Nathalie is gone from her bed!**

 **Now Matsuda gets briefed about what the other two members of the perverted trio found out.**

 **What will their next course of action be? And will they ever get behind the mystery?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 12 – A major clue…

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 6:14 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, dorm rooms_

Issei, Motohama and Matsuda were sitting on Issei's bed. They made sure to close the door to ensure privacy. After they did that, Issei, Motohama and Ddraig filled Matsuda in on what had happened recently, from Motohama's horrifying ordeal, the succubus lying in wait to kill them, its capabilities and how they found Matsuda thanks to Monique.

The three of them also recounted how livid they were when they found Matsuda naked in Nathalie's bed. Then, however, they saw him thrashing around in his sleep when they found him, too. This shocked Matsuda. He never thought that the dream that he had would make him do something like that.

"Yeah, we know right?" Motohama replied. "We shook you called your name multiple times, but you didn't wake up! That's when we had to take drastic measures…"

"Was it really necessary to punch me in the face with the Boosted Gear!?" Matsuda complained, earning a glare from Issei and Motohama.

"Hey, after what you did, you deserved that punch!" Issei answered him with a frown. "And secondly: Be glad! We saved your life back there!"

"Yeah, about that. What do you mean 'Save my life'?" Matsuda asked incredulously.

 **[What we are trying to say]** Ddraig spoke up. **[Is that you that the succubus was attacking your dreams.]** Matsuda widened his eyes at that.

"W-wait you're telling me that the same succubus Motohama saw an hour ago was the same one that attacked me? And that it attacked me in my dreams?" Matsuda questioned.

"That's right," Motohama answered seriously. "It's too coincidental to be true. First, Issei's nightmare last Saturday, then came I and that… ugh… frightening day-dream… and now you!"

"Tell me something, Matsuda," Issei demanded. "Those nightmares… You told Ddraig you had sweet sexy dreams, before you had the nightmare, right?" Matsuda blushed embarrassed at Issei's question, but nodded his head, nonetheless.

"What exactly did you dream?" Issei pressed Matsuda.

"W-w-why must I tell you?" Matsuda stuttered.

"Just tell us! Anything you say might be a clue to find our culprit!" Issei said earnestly.

"Well… I don't know…" Matsuda looked away embarrassed, thinking about whether to tell them or not.

"Come on, man… We need you to tell us. Besides, we promise we won't laugh at you. We promise!" Motohama pleaded his friend.

"Well… it's… kind of embarrassing…" Matsuda said hesitantly.

"Matsuda…" Issei grabbed his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "…we're your friends aren't we? We look out for each other… all right. We promise not to laugh. Besides, I told you about my sexy dream with Monique and neither you, Motohama or Ddraig laughed. So, why should we do so with your dream?"

Matsuda let that sink in for a few seconds, before he sighed. "I really don't have a choice, do I now?"

"Nope, you don't," Issei replied.

And so, Matsuda told them about how in his dream, he and Nathalie and sex in all kinds of different positions… and for some reason that got them a prize for the best sex in the world. Matsuda, Issei and Ddraig couldn't help but snigger, for that was the most embarrassing part.

"I told you it was embarrassing!" Matsuda cried out.

 **[Sorry… sorry… go on… phhhhh…]** Ddraig sniggered, trying to hold his laughter in.

Matsuda glared at the dragon in the Boosted Gear and continued. It turns out that prize was the ferry in his dream and thus he and Nathalie took a trip on the ocean. From there on, he recounted how Nathalie then broke off the kiss, moved to the railing, only to turn around sadly and say, "I'm sorry", before her disappearance.

Issei and Motohama raised their eyebrows at that. Even Ddraig thought that that was suspicious.

"Why do you think she said that?" Issei asked his friend.

"I… don't know…" Matsuda replied his mood down as he remembered Nathalie's sad face when she said that.

"Do you think it has something to do with why Nathalie wasn't with Matsuda when we got there?" Issei wondered.

 **[Who knows, maybe… Anyway, what happened after that?]** Ddraig asked.

Matsuda explained how the sky turned gray and a thunderstorm came over the sky. He related how he tried to search for Nathalie, before a number of shark heads attacked him.

"Shark heads?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, they kind of reminded me of those shark-like Pokémon… oh yeah, Sharpedo! That's what they were called, though they looked kind of different from the normal Sharpedo… if you know what I mean…" Matsuda explained. Issei and Motohama nodded. Having played Pokémon before, they knew of said Pokémon.

"And you say they were the ones attacking you?" Issei asked this time.

"Yup, I managed to fight them with an umbrella and managed to defeat some of them," Matsuda answered with a cocky smile. Then he pretended to swing the umbrella. "BAM! I hit them like a baseball back into the sea one by one! Unfortunately, one of them managed to get my shoulder. I managed to kill it by jumping on my back. Though I have to admit, even though it was all a dream, it still hurt like hell…" Matsuda reminisced as he massaged his shoulder where the shark head bit.

"Man! Reminds me of the time when I fought the kraken! Thankfully, I had the Boosted Gear and was able to use the Dragon Shot! Though, wait! How many shark heads did you fight?" Issei asked, clearly interested in the fight that Matsuda had to deal with.

"Five… at first…" Matsuda answered. "But then more and more jumped on deck and I had to run into the cabin and close it. I was injured and I couldn't fight them all…"

"Ok… what happened then…?" Motohama wanted to know.

"Well… the door held thankfully, keeping me safe from the shark heads, but then I heard a crunch and the boat started to sink…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold on! What on earth could have sunk that boat?" Issei asked.

"It turns out it was a… big shark of some kind…" Matsuda replied.

"A shark!? How can a shark bite through a boat!?" Motohama asked incredulously.

 **[It's a dream! Anything can happen, young Motohama. Please, go on]** Ddraig beckoned.

"I almost lost hope back there… I was ready to die… But then… I decided to take my own fate, in my hands! I mustered what hope I had left and climbed on the roof of the sinking boat through the cabin window. I took my final stand to fight the shark to the death, but then I heard your voices from the sky and then I saw the Issei's fist come down from the sky and… yeah… that's when I woke up," Matsuda finished his tale. His listeners didn't say a word, as they enveloped him in a hug. Matsuda was surprised at their gesture, before Issei spoke up.

"Dude… You've become so strong…" Issei congratulated him.

"You didn't give into despair and fought back with everything you got…" Motohama congratulated him as well.

"Ehehehe… Guys… you're embarrassing me…" Matsuda chuckled flustered.

"Yeah… I hope you don't say any stupid jokes, Ddraig!" Issei threatened the ancient old Heavenly Dragon.

 **[Yeesh… so touchy…]** Ddraig grumbled.

"But back to the issue," Issei said, letting Matsuda go. Motohama followed suit. "It's obvious we can say that both our dreams were pretty much the same: It started off sexy or romantic, but then devolved into a nightmare full of monsters that we had to fight to the death. The only way to get out of those dreams is if we defeat the monsters or someone else wakes him up," Issei concluded. Matsuda and Motohama nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… but now here's the question: How do stop this?" Matsuda asked. "What's to prevent that succubus from doing it again?"

 **[I don't know… That creature is capable of hiding its scent… so sniffing it out will be hard enough…]** Ddraig reasoned.

"What if we signal everyone with a message of some kind if another such attack happened?" Motohama suggested. The others thought about it for a moment, but shook their heads.

"No… we don't have any phones... so calling the other is impossible…" Issei said.

"Besides, how are you supposed to signal the others when you are attacked? I mean, it happens in your dreams… it's not like you can just call someone while you're asleep, right?" Matsuda reasoned.

All of them nodded. That plan could definitely be thrown in the scrap heap… They sat there, mulling over what to do. There was no telling when or where such an attack could happen again… or where the culprit is. Heck, there could even be more than one! Granted, that succubus Motohama encountered sure acted as if she was doing all these things by herself, but she could have accomplices… Wait a minute…

"Guys! I think I've got something!" Motohama piped up. Matsuda and Issei perked up and turned their faces expectantly towards their friend.

"You have a way to catch the succubus?" Issei asked hopefully.

"What? No… no… it's actually something else…" Motohama replied, their hopes going through the roof.

"Well, what is it?" Matsuda asked.

"It's about that guy the succubus was sucking the life out… Yuusuke," Motohama explained.

"What about him?" Issei wondered.

"That succubus is obviously roaming this facility here… and judging by the fact that it attacked us here and not in Kuoh Police Prison or the District Court… means that this is where it's the most comfortable… right?" Motohama explained.

 **[You may have a point, young one...]** Ddraig replied. **[So, what are you trying to say?]**

"Isn't it obvious? We're in its lair, its headquarters! And that means, Yuusuke was probably kept captive here, hidden in this facility… All we have to do is to search this facility high and low, until we find Yuusuke's body!" Motohama concluded his explanation.

Contrary to his expectations, Issei and Matsuda just frowned at what he just said.

"Dude… I know you may up to something… but there is a problem with that plan…" Matsuda answered.

"Yeah, what makes us so sure that that guy is here in the first place? Sure, this may be succubus's headquarters, but what makes us so sure it isn't hiding him somewhere outside this facility? For all we know, he might be far away from here!" Issei told his friend, who in turn slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

 **[I wouldn't be so sure, Partner.]** Ddraig spoke up.

"Huh?" Issei raised his eyebrow.

 **[I'm saying, I actually believe young Motohama's explanation]** Ddraig said, surprising Issei and Matsuda.

"Really? How? Why?" Issei wanted to know.

 **[Do you remember last Monday? When the police came by the other time**?] Ddraig reminded Issei.

"Well… yeah… but-"

"Wait, what's he talking about?" Motohama asked curiously.

"Well… last Monday when I had to go to the bathroom…" Issei explained, as he narrated of what he saw that day.

* * *

 _Flashback – 10_ _th_ _of September, Monday, about 8:58 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway_

 _Issei had just come out of the bathroom after relieving himself. He zipped his fly up and was on his way back to class._

' _Whew, I sure am glad that's out of the way! Now, back to class… ehehe… Social sciences are so great because of her!' Issei thought happily. As he turned round the corner, he suddenly heard something on the other side of the hallway just around the next corner._

" _Are you sure about that, ma'am?" an unknown male voice said. Issei was mildly surprised at the voice of the man._

' _Who was that?' Issei wondered. This wasn't a voice that Issei was familiar with. Maybe they were visitors. Issei was about to let the matter be until he heard a familiar voice replying to the unknown man._

" _Well… yes…" the familiar voice replied, causing Issei to perk up in response._

' _That's… Monique!' Issei realized. That was when his curiosity got the better of him and decided to sneak closer to listen to the conversation. The closer Issei got, the better he heard what was going on._

" _You're telling me that the last time you saw our colleague was at 1:46 pm on Saturday, the eighth of September. Is that right?" the man asked._

" _Yes, sir. He finished drinking his tea, signed the necessary documents confirming the transfer of prisoners Todoriki-san, Hibiki-san and Hyoudou-san and drove away with his van. That's the last we saw of him," Monique explained._

' _Wait a sec'! Is she talking about our transfer here?' Issei wondered._

" _Are you positive that he was on his way back to our headquarters?" the man asked._

" _I don't know, sir. He never told us what business he had to do, but it's likely he did. I find it unimaginable for someone like that to drive a police van somewhere else, like for ice-cream trips for example… teehee…" Monique giggled._

 _Issei widened his eyes as he heard those things. 'Police van!? Wait a minute… If the man said 'our colleague' then that means… the person Monique is talking to must be a police officer! Wait a minute… Did the guy that brought us here go missing?' All these thoughts were swirling through Issei's brain, as he processed what he had just heard, only to be interrupted when the man spoke up again._

" _Well… we thank you for your cooperation ma'am… if you find out more about his whereabouts, please call us under this number," the police officer told Monique, before he turned around to leave. Issei heard his footsteps, as they got more and more faint._

" _One more thing," Issei heard the police officer say, who apparently stopped in his tracks to say this. "That colleague of mine… is not just a colleague… he's my older brother, too. So, if you find out anything…_ _ **please**_ _call us immediately," The police officer pleaded much to Issei's surprise._

' _I see… so he has a personal motive in this, too…' Issei deduced._

" _I'll do what I can… officer…" Monique said cheerfully, but Issei did hear a hint of somberness in her voice._

" _Thank you, ma'am…" the police officer replied, before he left for good._

 _Issei didn't say anything. He just stood there, feeling… empathy towards the police officer. He lost his brother and he didn't know whether he was alive or dead. Issei knew how he felt. Even though their situations were completely different – Issei's parents were dead, his brother was just missing – it still involved the loss of one of their loved ones._

 _Family… how many people were there in the world that would never see their loved ones again… It was sad that this was a reality…_

 _As Issei walked away, he felt… empty. He was reminded of his erstwhile dream to becoming a police officer… he wished he could do something about by becoming one... but when Sally showed him otherwise, Issei knew he needed to try something else… which was why… Issei became more determined than ever to become a private detective._

 _Issei went back to his class room quietly. Although he managed to suppress his emotions by the time he came back to class, those thoughts stuck to him for the rest of the day._

* * *

 _Back to the present…_

Issei had just finished telling the others what he had witnessed with a subdued attitude. The part where the police officer revealed the disappearance of his own brother still left Issei melancholy. Matsuda and Motohama on the other hand were shocked at what they heard. They never knew something like this even happened at this facility… It was sad to hear.

Nobody said a word for a while until Issei spoke up.

"Well, that was what happened. But what makes you so sure that that cop was even the guy Motohama saw die, Ddraig?" Issei asked.

Ddraig cleared his throat before explaining. **[The other day… on the day, we left the courthouse for this facility…]**

* * *

 _Flashback – 8_ _th_ _of September, Saturday, about 12:38 pm – Outside Kuoh District Court_

 _Issei and the others were moved into the police van. While Issei was getting in, Ddraig (being able to hear, despite being sealed) overheard their driver and a colleague of his talking._

" _Sakabasu Detention Facility… Can't say I've heard of it before…" the driver mused._

" _Well… me neither… and I've driven prisoners all over the country…" his colleague replied._

" _Who knows? I think it's meant for younger offenders, so I guess it may be a place I've never heard about, since you know… Young offenders aren't on my usual list of prisoners," the driver replied._

" _Whatever," the colleague replied. "Anyway, the boys and I were planning to go out to Wendy's tonight. Do you wanna come?"_

" _Oh yeah, sure! I wouldn't miss it for anything!" the driver replied enthusiastically._

" _That's good to hear!" the colleague chuckled. "Well see you then, Yuusuke," the colleague waved goodbye._

 _The driver now revealed to be Yuusuke got into the van._

 _Issei went in as well. The door closed behind Issei and in front as well. Then the van started moving and drove to its destination – Sakabasu Detention Facility._

* * *

 _Back to the present again…_

"Wait," Issei widened his eyes in realization. "You mean to say that that driver that brought us here…"

 **[…is none other than the man called Yuusuke – the same man young Motohama saw die at the hands of the Succubus!]** Ddraig finished his conclusion.

"No way…" Matsuda said fearfully.

"Wait! But that means…" Motohama spoke as adrenaline rushed through his veins. The memories of the driver's face merges with the screams of the same man screaming horrified for his life, leading Motohama to come to a horrifying conclusion.

"… That guy! Yuusuke! It all makes sense!" Motohama exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room to himself.

"What makes sense?" Issei asked intrigued.

"Yeah, what have you found out?" Matsuda asked him earnestly.

"Julie was the last one who saw him! And if he didn't reappear after that, then that means: He was kidnapped here – sometime after Julie took him for tea!" Motohama told everyone.

"If that's true, then given the fact that the succubus managed to attack all three of us with no problems at all…" Issei mumbled, as he put a hand at his chin.

"…means that the Sakabasu Detention Facility is its hideout!" Matsuda concluded.

 **[Young Motohama!]** Ddraig asked, causing Motohama to turn his face towards the Boosted Gear. **[At what time did you see the Succubus again?]**

"What time?" Motohama looked at the clock hanging at the wall, before replying. "Nearly an hour ago."

 **[If there are no dug-up spots around here, then that means Yuusuke's body is probably around here somewhere in this facility]** Ddraig explained.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to find it?" Matsuda asked.

"Indeed… That's the question…" Issei said, mulling over what they could possibly do.

"If we are looking for someone like that cop, we better do it fast; otherwise we'll never be able to find him in time. So how about we split up and look across the facility?" Motohama suggested. But Ddraig shot that suggestion down.

 **[I don't think that's a wise idea. There's no telling where or when the succubus might strike again]** Ddraig replied. Everyone sat there, trying to come up with an idea.

"What if we go two by two?" Matsuda suggested. Issei and Motohama looked at him in confusion.

"I mean, think about it! There's four of us: Issei, Ddraig, Motohama and me. Issei and Ddraig are (of course) always together, while Motohama and I can be a team. That way if one of us goes down, the other can protect the other – and we save time, too!" Matsuda reasoned. This idea received nods from the others, but one concern remained for Issei.

"Guys, although the idea is good and all, what will you do when you come across the succubus? Ddraig and I could take care of our own, but you two don't have any Sacred Gears or weapons… so… what are you going to do?" Issei queried.

Matsuda's and Motohama's faces became serious at that moment. Issei was right… What could they do? They would be as helpless as children against it – Motohama could testify to that. They looked at each other. None of them said a word. It was clear to the two of them what the other was thinking. And it was because of that that they both perceived the fear the other had in doing this.

This was not something to be taken lightly. If the succubus decided to make a move, they would be as good as dead.

Nonetheless, their faces of fear turned into ones of determination. They nodded, apparently thinking the same thing, before turning their faces to Issei. Issei noticed the change in facial expressions and wondered what was going on through their minds and what they had to say.

"I… We don't know what to do," Matsuda admitted to Issei's and Ddraig's disappointment.

"However!" Motohama quickly added. "What we do know is that either way, the succubus will kill us either way, even if we didn't do anything. That's why we want to do this!"

"Yeah, even if we die, at least we can go down fighting! Just like my battle against the shark in my dream!" Matsuda said with a confident grin.

Issei was stunned just how determined Matsuda and Motohama were. He had the Boosted Gear, while Matsuda and Motohama had nothing. Nothing! And here Issei was in worrying about them…

'Wow… What serious situations make people do!' Issei thought in awe.

 **[Indeed, Partner]** Ddraig responded mentally. **[Your friends may be perverts of the weirdest kinds, but their courage and friendship towards each other and you are the real thing.]**

Hearing this, Issei smiled softly to himself. Before turning his face towards his two good buddies.

"Alright, let's do this!" Issei declared.

"Agreed!" Matsuda said.

"Me too!" Motohama chimed in.

 **[Good. I want Matsuda and Motohama to search the inside of the facility. When you look, look for all the dark places you can find. That's most likely where Yuusuke has been kept hidden. Issei and I will look outside around the facility to sniff out Yuusuke's body, in case he has already been taken out and buried somewhere. Any objections?]** Ddraig asked, laying out his strategy. No one objected.

 **[Good, then let us begin! Dinner is soon, so we'll meet again. Until then, make sure to keep this among yourselves! None of the wardens are to know of this. Am I clear?]** Ddraig asked, leading the perverted trio to nod their heads.

Seeing that the game plan had been laid out, Matsuda and Motohama got of the bed and went out first to look for Yuusuke's remains. Issei stayed behind and dismissed the Boosted Gear, watching as his friends went out.

'Good luck, guys,' Issei wished his friends, as he stared out the window. 'I just hope that Succubus doesn't get you…'

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 6:28 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway on the first floor_

"Dark rooms… dark rooms…" Matsuda muttered, as he and Motohama looked around for anything they thought was a dark room. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Matsuda and Motohama knew that the facility had quite a lot of rooms, small and big, from the ground floor all the way up to the second floor. Looking through them was quite troublesome. As if that was not enough, many of the rooms were locked, so checking them all was impossible. Peeping through the keyhole (something they reminisced doing in Kuoh Academy to girls changing in the locker room) was also impossible, since it was so dark inside.

"Darn it!" Motohama complained in frustration. "We're never going to find Yuusuke like this!"

"*Sigh* I hate to agree with you," Matsuda voiced his fatigue at the situation. "It's not even been a half an hour and we still can't find him."

They both decided to take a break. Matsuda decided to lean against the wall, while Motohama did the same in a squatting position. They were both cautious, anxious and enthusiastic when they first went out to find Yuusuke's body or the succubus – whichever they found first. What they did not expect was… boredom… fatigue.

One thing they knew was that there was no way they could finish this in one day. They had to do this over the weekend (unless Issei managed to find what they were looking for). They had to do something about those doors; otherwise, they would never find Yuusuke's body.

"Matsuda…" Motohama said tiredly.

"What…?" Matsuda replied with equal fatigue, as he too slumped to the floor.

"Let's call it a day, shall we?" Motohama suggested.

"Agreed…" Matsuda replied, getting up using the wall as a support for doing so.

"*Sigh* We've got to do something about those doors, man. Otherwise, we'll never be able to find that guy Yuusuke," Motohama told his friend, while getting up as well.

"Totally… maybe we should ask Monique or someth-" Matsuda began.

"No…" Motohama interrupted Matsuda. "You remember what Ddraig said, right? None of the wardens are to find out about this," Motohama reminded him.

"Then what are we going to do? Break the doors in?" Matsuda asked sarcastically, but still tired with a frown.

"I don't know… We'll head back and ask Ddraig and Issei what to do about it… But the wardens are not supposed to find out about it…" Motohama stated.

"Um… What are we not supposed to find out…?" a voice suddenly asked from out of nowhere.

"GAAH!" "WAAH!" Matsuda and Motohama screamed startled as they turned to the source of the voice.

"J-Julie!" Motohama exclaimed startled.

Indeed. The person to whom the voice belonged to was none other than the beautiful tall purple-haired warden named Julie. She too looked startled by the sudden screams of the perverted duo, as she calmed herself down and nodded to Motohama's response.

"Sorry, Miss Julie," Matsuda apologized, getting up from his sitting position. Motohama did the same immediately afterwards.

"N-n-no no… It's my fault… I shouldn't have snuck up to you like that unnoticed…" Julie insisted apologetically, as she looked away embarrassed, her fingers playing with her long silky hair.

"A-anyway…" Julie spoke up turning her face back to the two boys. "What are you doing up here?"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other nervously for a while, as if trying to communicate with each other nonverbally. Then Motohama turned his face to Julie and spoke up first.

"We… we were just… checking out where the toilet paper was… that's all!" Motohama lied. Julie looked at him uncertain, as if unsure whether to believe him.

"I… It's true!" Matsuda interjected. "Motohama wet his pants earlier and he had to use up so much toilet paper to clean our dorm room!" Motohama immediately blushed at that, before angrily turning his face towards Matsuda.

"Dude! Did you have to say that!?" Motohama berated his friend. But Matsuda stood his ground with his statement.

"But it's true! I looked into the bathroom earlier and I saw that the toilet paper had nearly run out! I bet you used all that toilet paper to clean all that piss of yours on the floor, am I right?" Matsuda retorted, causing Motohama to growl angrily at Matsuda.

"You piece of…" Motohama started but was intercepted by Julie who went in between him and Matsuda, before the first could pounce on the latter.

"All right. There's no reason to start a fight here," Julie said, as she laid a hand on Motohama's shoulder to calm him down (much to the latter's surprise).

She then went to a certain door and pulled out a keychain. Julie looked through the keys she had, before finding the right key and inserting it into the lock. She opened it, revealing a small store room with all kinds of household appliances, including toilet paper. Julie took one out and gave it to Motohama.

"Here. This would make up for your needs, right?" Julie asked with a gentle smile, as she gave the toilet paper roll to a blushing Motohama.

"Th-thank you…" Motohama thanked her sheepishly, as he blushed, this time not out of embarrassment or anger, but because of his hormonal instincts reacting to a beautiful woman like Julie. Motohama looked away for a moment.

Julie was a great girl. Long legs, beautiful long hair, gentle, soft-spoken, a good teacher and tutor. Seriously, how could anyone in the world (especially Matsuda) think she wasn't the best girl… no… woman in the world? Motohama only wished he could be her boyfriend. After all, if Issei could end up with Sally and Matsuda with Nathalie, then why shouldn't he end up with someone as wonderful as Julie?

'But then again…' Motohama reasoned. 'Why would someone as beautiful and wonderful as Julie want to be with someone like me?' Surely, dreams like these… how could they come true?

"Umm… Motohama-kun?" Julie interrupted Motohama's train of thoughts, as he quickly turned his face towards her.

"Y-y-yes...?" Motohama asked in a startled manner after being interrupted by her for the second time today.

"If you don't mind… I have something I need to discuss with you…alone…" Julie said much to Motohama's shock. What on earth…? Despite his bewilderment, he nodded his head.

"Sure, Julie…" Motohama responded. He started following her but managed to turn to Matsuda and hand him the toilet paper. "Here, take this to our bathroom. We'll talk later about our next steps," Motohama whispered, making sure Julie didn't hear. Matsuda nodded, while Motohama followed Julie down the hallway.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 6:30 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, Julie's room_

Julie opened the door to her room, as she and Motohama went inside. Motohama was a confused as to what it was that Julie wanted to talk to him alone. Moreover, why was he in her room? Motohama could tell it was her room just by the fact that it had some of her clothes on the bed and in her wardrobe. Various clothes, such as leggings, skirts, shirts, bras and panties were lying around the room. Motohama blushed. He was almost on the verge of touching, feeling and sniffing them. Thankfully, he managed to control himself, since Julie was in the room. But again: Why was he in Julie's room? If they wanted to talk in private, wouldn't a normal classroom have sufficed?

While Motohama was pondering these things, Julie turned to look at Motohama with a slightly reddened face. Obviously, she knew that Motohama was a boy and that there was quite a lot of lingerie lying around. Nonetheless, she didn't freak out. Instead, she just stood there blushing.

"Umm… Don't mind all the stuff that is lying around…" Julie said quietly, yet still audibly for Motohama to hear.

"Ahhh… No worries! No worries… ahahaha…" Motohama laughed embarrassed. Then there was an awkward silence. No one spoke, even though the reason both of them were alone in Julie's room was to talk about something.

Because of the awkwardness of the atmosphere, Motohama tried to stimulate a conversation.

"S-say…" Motohama started, gaining Julie's attention. "Don't you think you should be… uh… putting all these clothes away…?" Motohama asked uneasy. He really didn't want to say it, but he had to say something, right? Motohama felt like he was going to die from embarrassment. He may be a pervert, but even he had some degree of modesty, more so with older women.

Julie just turned away embarrassed, as she replied sheepishly. "Well… You're right about that… I really should clear my room…" Julie was embarrassed. This was not going the way she had hoped the conversation would go, but she had a hard time starting the conversation she wanted to have. Nonetheless, she started to take her things and put them away in the washing basket.

Once again, awkward silence reigned in Julie's room, except the sound of Julie's clothes being moved into the washing basket. It's clear to Motohama that Julie wasn't going to start talking. But why? What was it that Julie wanted to talk to him about? It must be pretty touchy, if Julie was acting this shy, right?

Nevertheless, Motohama could do the next best thing and try to stimulate another conversation. But what could he… then Motohama got it.

"Hey, Julie!" Motohama asked a bit too loudly than he intended, causing Julie to yelp and turn around with her white panties in her hands. Motohama held his hands up quickly in defense. "Woah, whoa… No need to get all jumpy… I just wanted to ask you something."

"You do…? Well… what is it?" Julie asked, still holding her panties. Motohama blushed at the sight of the white panties. He bet she probably wore it not too long ago. Nonetheless, he shook his thoughts as he focused on Julie.

"Well… umm…" the spectacle-wearing pervert started awkwardly. "…It's about your colleagues… Sally and Nathalie… uhh… is it all right for them to be in a romantic relationship with Issei and Matsuda? I mean, they aren't eighteen yet and… well… since this is a facility… wouldn't it be illegal?"

Julie didn't say anything for the moment. She turned around and put the white panties into the washing basket, before turning around to face Motohama once more. Julie had a neutral expression as she looked away for a bit. It seemed like she was trying to find the right thing to say to Motohama but was still trying to think whether it was the right thing to say.

"Well…" Julie began. "Although what you say is true… Nathalie and Sally are adults and they know the boundaries that a student-teacher relationship should have. So, even if they have a… romantic relationship so to speak… it's ok if it doesn't go too far down the road…" she explained, causing Motohama to frown.

"Pardon me, but Issei and Sally have kissed and made out and Nathalie and Matsuda have already had sex… so… where's the boundary?" Motohama asked, causing Julie to widen her eyes in surprise.

"W-w-what!?" Julie exclaimed in a stuttering fashion. "W-what do you mean Nathalie and Matsuda had sex?" Motohama was a bit taken aback at how surprised Julie was. She didn't know? Monique seemed to know about their escapade earlier this day, but Julie didn't? That was surpising.

"Ummm… you mean you didn't know?" Motohama asked curiously. Julie wildly shook her head.

"No! I didn't! So that's why Monique told me not to go into Nathalie's room not too long ago…" Julie deduced.

"Yeah… I also was shocked when Monique told us about them having sex, too!" Motohama added. He sat down on Julie's bed, as he went on.

"I mean, as if Issei and Sally hadn't been bad enough with them making out, Matsuda had to lose his V-card to Nathalie, too! Why am I the only one that hasn't made out with a girl yet? In fact, I never even had a girl who likes me to begin with! So why… WHY!?" Motohama cried out, as he sagged his shoulders and looked down to the floor. "Why am I the only one left behind…?"

Julie looked at Motohama sadly. He was bothered about his friends being ahead of him in terms of romance. That certainly was enviable… being the only virgin or single person in one's group of friends… Julie understood him perfectly. After all, as of now, she was just like him. Sally had her first boyfriend, Nathalie lost her virginity not too long ago, even Monique said she had a boyfriend. Monique never said who it was, but she did say that it was somebody… out of this world or something like that.

Only Julie was left.

Yes.

Julie was the only warden here who has had no boyfriend. Which is why when she heard Motohama's story, she felt… something between him and her… a bond of some kind… maybe more…

Her cheeks blushed as she thought about it. Was she falling in love with Motohama, just like Sally and Nathalie did with Issei and Matsuda? So, this must be how they ended up together… She shook her head. No, no wait! Such a relationship… that is not permissible! He's still too young! Nonetheless, she thought as she looked at the four-eyed pervert, he seemed kind of cute…

Not only, was he very considerate, but in all their sessions together, Motohama was a very open person and an avid learner. Sure, he may have drooled at her a few times, but despite that, he still was a nice person…

But a relationship with him…?

Julie shook her head again. No, no, no… That shouldn't be. She had no idea how Sally and Nathalie were fine with their relationships (it could be because they were mentally still teenagers, unlike Julie), but starting a relationship like this was not only potentially shaky on the long-term, but Motohama was still so young… a minor…

Julie sighed quietly, looking down to the floor in sadness, as she thought of the other reason why such a relationship wasn't possible.

Not only was Motohama too young for her…

But the secret lying deep inside her heart and the situation involved with it would guarantee that their relationship… would not last very long.

More so, there was something about Motohama's idea of getting a boyfriend and losing his virginity that didn't seem right to her.

"Umm… Julie?" Motohama spoke up. Julie shook out of her thoughts, as she focused her attention on Motohama once again. Julie noticed that Motohama's face showed signs of worry.

"Is everything all right?" Motohama asked concerned.

Julie just smiled gently, as she shook her head. "No… nothing you need to be worrying about…" Julie reassured Motohama. Nobody said a word, as Julie pondered about whether she should do it or not. In the end, she decided to sit down right next to him, much to Motohama's surprise.

'Whoa! Julie's sitting next to me! I can almost smell her! No wait, Motohama! Resist, resist! I mustn't do anything stupid here!' Motohama thought, fighting his urges as well as he could. He fidgeted as he sat next to the purple-haired warden, trying his best not to touch her or make her uncomfortable.

"Motohama?" Julie asked.

"Uhh… yeah?" Motohama replied.

"I've been wondering… What is it about getting a girlfriend or losing your virginity to someone that makes you want to do it?" Julie inquired.

Motohama looked at her stunned. OK… He did not expect that question. Motohama pondered how to answer Julie. It took him half a minute before he responded.

"Well… What should I say?" Motohama answered nonchalantly. "Having sex proves that you're an adult now. And having a girlfriend, you know… is a way of getting it. Plus, what could be better in the world than sex?"

Julie nodded. "OK… So, you're saying the girl is only a tool just to have sex… Am I right?" Julie asked calmly. Motohama immediately shook his head.

"No! I mean, girls aren't just tools to a means… Girls need to be treated with respect… and… uh… first you need to be friends… and… umm… well… you should never be unfaithful to them…" Motohama rambled on, trying to do some damage control on what he said before. However, the more he talked, the more he realized how hypocritical his words were. In the end he just went quiet and gave up on trying to justify his motives.

"…You're right, Julie…" Motohama sighed. "I… really do think of women as tools to an end… All three of us for that matter," Motohama explained, as Julie listened attentively to what Motohama had to say.

"We… the reason why we're called the perverted trio… is because of our love for boobs, porn, girl's lingerie and a bunch of other fetishes… including our love for harems! That shouldn't be forgotten!" Motohama quickly added energetically, before returning back to his more somber tone.

"Unfortunately, we always get hated for what we do… I guess I don't blame the kendo club for beating us up over our peeping habits… yet… even then we still persisted… holding on to our ideals of getting a harem someday… but then… as you probably know… we got thrown in jail for beating up some girls, which is something that I never thought we would ever do… You know?" Motohama said to Julie, the latter saying nothing. Nonetheless, she showed interest to what Motohama was saying by nodding her head. Good! At least Motohama knew he wasn't boring her – at least outwardly – before he continued.

"It really was scary… being in jail… not knowing when you'll get out… when I was injured by a vengeful police officer… I thought I was a goner! I thought I was going to die a virgin! It was so horrible… as I lay there agonized by the bullet that had pierced my shoulder… Thankfully, I managed to survive. And things you know… only got better… we got sentenced here for two years, we met you, Monique, Sally and Nathalie and that was when thought… things were going upward for us… you know?" Motohama said and looked at Julie. Julie had an uncertain expression, as if wanting Motohama to elaborate further.

"When we saw you… and how nice you were to us… we were hoping you might be single… and we were right on the money. We all… had perverted, erotic dreams about you four… each one of us had our eyes on our respective candidates… Issei had Sally, Matsuda had Nathalie… and I had you…" Motohama confessed with a smile, causing Julie to get flustered and blush with a brightly reddened face.

"…I… I fell in love with you… at our first tutoring session… You taught me so many different things in that lesson, like expanding your horizon on what you want be when you grow up… but most importantly…" Motohama paused, before looking tenderly into Julie's eyes. Julie was still blushing but didn't turn away. "I discovered that a girl can't be measured by their three sizes… or outward appearances in general… but by the sweetness of the inner person… I know it sounds… like a cliché moral lesson… and I've heard it over and over… but know… I truly understand it… you know…" Motohama smiled happily.

"Uhuh…" Julie nodded, still reddened from Motohama's confession.

"So, I want to say… Thank you, Julie… you're the sweetest girl I've ever met… I'm so glad that I was able to meet you… So, please… will you be my girlfriend?" Motohama asked, as his heart was beating rapidly at the climax of the moment.

"Motohama…" Julie said quietly, her bangs overshadowing her eyes, leaving her facial expression uncertain. Her hands went to her chest, as she felt her rapid heartbeat.

"Julie…" Motohama spoke up. "You don't have to answer me now… If you need me, I'll be waiting for you downstairs…" Motohama said, as he got up to go. But Julie reached out and snatched his wrist, preventing Motohama from leaving. Motohama looked back surprised. Julie's bangs were still covering her eyes, so her expression was still uncertain.

"Motohama… there is something… I need to tell you…" Julie said.

Motohama raised his eyebrows. Something she needed to tell him?

"I… appreciate your honesty with me… about your feelings towards me… But before I get to that… there's something I need to say about your desire to lose your virginity…" Julie told him, as she let go of his wrist.

'Losing my V-card? What about it?' Motohama wondered.

"You said that you wanted to lose your virginity so that you can become an adult, right?" Julie asked Motohama. He nodded.

"Then let me put it this way: If you had the opportunity to lose your virginity… would you take it?" Julie asked.

Mothama was shocked at what he heard. 'Holy crap! I-is she saying she wants sex with me?'

Motohama eagerly nodded his head, but still tried to be modest in his behavior towards her.

"Julie… I'm flattered… but… well… we don't have to do it this quickly…" Motohama blabbered with a reddened face, every kind of fantasy of what may happen next rushing to mind. But Julie stopped him.

"I wasn't finished yet," she said, causing Motohama to stop his fantasies and listen to what Julie had to say. "What if you lost your virginity… to someone who turns out to be… a deplorable person… one who would only give you misery and heartbreak for the rest of your life… would you still wish to lose your virginity then?"

Motohama was surprised by what Julie had to ask. Why was she saying this? He thought for a while, before responding.

"I… don't think so…" Motohama answered honestly.

"All right… next question: What if you could lose virginity… but the girl… was a prostitute?" Julie asked again.

'Whoa, whoa… Why is she asking these questions?' Motohama thought bewildered. Then an idea of why she was asking these things came to mind.

"Julie… you don't mean to say you're…" Motohama said, not wishing it to be true. To his relief, Julie quickly shook her head.

"No, no… I'm just making up a hypothetical case…" Julie replied.

Motohama breathed a sigh in relief, before answering. "Well, the question is no!"

"Good, next question: What if you lost your virginity through rape? Is that something you would want?" Julie asked again.

"Oh heck, no!" Motohama answered. "Why would you be asking all these things, Julie? You know the answer would be no!"

"Well… If you value losing your virginity so much, here's the final question: Why would you refuse all these hypothetical options I've given you?" Julie queried Motohama.

"That's easy! Because all of these options are either painful to go through, degrading, cheap or just plain horrifying. Why would I want to go through all that just to have sex?" Motohama asked rhetorically.

Julie just smiled at that. "Exactly…"

It was then that Motohama realized what she was getting at the whole time.

"I see… you were trying to tell me that losing your virginity is not necessarily a good thing, right?" Motohama deduced with Julie nodding her head.

"Yes… but not only that… your first time should be treasured… cherished with the person you love… not just thrown away at the next opportunity… I understand that you want to have a lover… or even have sex… in fact I, too, want it as much as you do… but there's a right way in doing it…" Julie explained, turning her head away meekly. "… at the right time… the right place… and the right circumstances… And I don't want you make the same mistakes like so many other people have with their first time…"

Motohama just took in what Julie said. Yeah, that's right! It isn't about losing your virginity that matters, but in doing it the right way. What Julie said made sense… Nevertheless, there was one point that Motohama still insisted on.

"I still think it's unfair that Issei and Matsuda can get ahead of me in losing their V-card," he said, folding his arms to his chest. Julie giggled a bit, before her face started to turn a bit serious, something that caught Motohama's eye.

"Well… to be honest… I think you're better off than they are… for the long-term…" Julie said.

"What do you mean by that?" Motohama asked Julie.

"Even though… their chemistry with my colleagues is very good… it probably won't last very long…" Julie explained. Julie becoming downcast, making Motohama worried.

"What? Why?" Motohama said surprised.

Julie didn't answer. All she did was look down with a somber expression, before speaking.

"…Which is why… I can't be with you… I'm sorry," Julie said.

Motohama felt like a train hit him. It felt like… his heart was breaking, as he took those words in.

"W-what…? I… think I didn't hear you…properly…" Motohama responded shocked but sad because of her rejection.

"I'm sorry, Motohama… I… we can't be together…" Julie said sadly, Motohama's heart shattering into tiny pieces. He just froze there, sitting on Julie's bed. He couldn't believe it.

Issei was able to end up with Sally…

Matsuda was able to lose his V-card with Nathalie…

So why…?

Why couldn't he end up with Julie…?

Why was he the one being left behind?

"Motohama!" Julie's voice shook him out of his frozen condition, followed by a hug. Julie hugged him tightly, tears coming from her eyes. Motohama thought it was strange. Why… was she crying? He was the one who got rejected by her, right? She obviously didn't want him for some reason, so why…?

Tears flowed down her cheeks, as Motohama hugged her back.

"Even though… I said that we can't be together… I wish we could… I love you, too… but we just can't…" Julie said between sobs.

'Why not?' Motohama wanted to ask, but Julie answered before he could say these words.

"…there are circumstances… *sob* that won't let us…" Julie explained tearfully. "…if we want to have our first time to be a wonderful… blissful *sob* experience… then we mustn't… not here… not now… and not… *sniff* under the present circumstances…"

'But what do you mean by that?' Motohama asked mentally. 'When… Where… and What would be the right time…?'

"I know you have a lot of questions, Motohama *sob*… but now is not the right time to answer them… for now *sob* all I can tell you is what I have told you in our first tutoring session together *sniff*…" Julie hugged Motohama tighter, her fingers clawing his back desperately. If Motohama didn't have his sweater on, she may have left scratch-marks on him, but Motohama didn't care about that for now.

"'…don't look in only one direction, but in many…' *sniff* that is true not only for your career choices *sob*… but also for your love life as well *sob*…" Julie advised Motohama, repeating those very same words that she had told him last Saturday.

Motohama didn't say anything. He just listened silently to Julie's sobbing. He smelled the sweet aroma coming from her hair. Even though she rejected him... it was nice to be in her arms like this…

After a while Julie stopped crying. She removed one of her hands from their hug and pulled something out of her skirt pocket. She gently put it in Motohama's hand. Motohama looked at what he had in his hand and saw a key. What was it for?

Julie leaned forward and whispered the answer into Motohama's ear.

"Try out every door. Follow your smell. The door to the room that opens with this key will have what you're looking for," whispered Julie. Motohama was confused as to what she meant, before he could ask…

"Julie! Motohama! It's time for dinner!" Monique's voice came from downstairs.

"W-we'll be right there!" Julie replied, removing herself from Motohama, yet still sitting next to Motohama. She also wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve.

"Before you go, Motohama… I want to tell you one last thing…" Julie said. Motohama just turned his face towards her. Her face was still red from crying, but at least she was smiling again.

"…You're a wonderful person, Motohama… Although I can't be with you… I'm sure there will be plenty of girls who might fall for you…" Julie told him. As soon as she finished saying these things, she kissed him on the cheek. It was an emotional, passionate, yet gentle kiss, the kind that lasted only for two seconds, but one with a lot of feelings attached to it.

Motohama was mildly surprised. He wasn't expecting a kiss, right after being rejected. Yet overall, he was confused. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad, jumping for joy for making progress or crying because that was as far as his and Julie's relationship will ever go. Before Motohama could think further, Julie spoke up.

"I think you should go now. It's rude to keep Monique waiting. Please tell the others I'll be coming down a bit later, OK?" Julie said. Motohama nodded. She got up and headed towards the bathroom to wash her face.

Motohama waited until Julie had entered and the door had closed. He went out of Julie's room and headed downstairs.

Resuming where he left his thoughts, Motohama didn't know what to think about Julie's rejection. What's more, he didn't know what to do with that key in his hand. And what did she mean when she said: "Try out every door. Follow your smell. The door to the room that opens with this key will have what you're looking for"? Why, if he didn't know any better it might as well be related to the search for that police driver Yuu-.

Wait a minute! Motohama looked down at the key. Could it be…? He looked back towards Julie's room. She wasn't coming out yet, but that was irrelevant. Then all the pieces of the puzzle came together into Motohama's head.

'Come to think of it, Julie was the last person who saw that guy Yuusuke still alive. She was making him tea if I remember correctly. So, could it be…?' Motohama reasoned, his eyes widening as he came to the realization…

'Julie… so that's why you've been saying all these things just now…' Motohama reasoned.

* * *

 **And there you have it.**

 **It took me a while to write this down, getting distracted sure is annoying!**

 **But I managed to do it in the end**

 **Now as for the chapter.**

 **The succubus's victim called Yuusuke is none other than the police van driver who drove the perverted trio to Sakabasu Detention Facility. So now the gang is going to look for his remains wherever they are.**

 **Meanwhile, Julie and Motohama have had this heartfelt talk about virginity and how precious it is. Now, one thing I've noticed in a number of animes is that characters constantly get virgin-shamed or get pressured into losing their virginity. And when they do get the opportunity to lose their virginity, some cop-out has to get in their way. It's annoying trope that permeates so many animes, including in High School DxD. That is why I went out of my way to get a scene like this to get written.**

 **I mean, come on! Don't they have any sense of valuing their virginity or making their first time kissing or having sex special? Why do they feel the need to get rid of their V-card as soon as they can? I mean I'm sure there are characters that do value their first kiss or first time, but their constitution is played in such a shallow, generic or comedic fashion that they barely even count!**

 **Anyway, it's just ridiculous just how these characters think. If there is an anime that values virginity, I'd like to know.**

 **Back to Motohama and Julie: Now maybe some of you are shocked that I had Julie reject Motohama. Well, if you've seen where Motohama was going with his argument at the end, you might understand why.**

 **I wanted to try something different with Julie's and Motohama's relationship, make it different from Sally x Issei and Matsuda x Nathalie. So why not a relationship that won't become an "official" relationship? As for where their relationship will be going from here… you'll see…**

 **Anyway, here's a-** SGVyZSdzIGEgcG9lbS4uLiB0ZWVoZWU=

What may start at the start

Ends not necessarily at the end

As much as he is smart

To succeed is not necessarily a trend

Writing might be hard

And sometimes easy

But stabbing with a shard

Can make one queasy

Getting what I want is the same

The arduous trials one must endure

But that is all part of the great game

And I for one will win…

…for that I am sure…

SSBob3BlIHlvdSBoYWQgZnVuIHdpdGggaXQu

 **What the…!?**

 **A poem? What on earth does this mean? Why do get the chills from this? What's it talking about winning a game of some kind? I have to say it's a well-written poem… but still! It's freaking me out! Who's writing all these weird messages!?**

 **[…]**

 **Ah well! Anyway, I was going to show you an omake of Motohama's parents until I was interrupted…**

 **Anyway, here it is:**

* * *

 _14th September, Friday, about 6:45 pm – Todoriki residence, living room_

If anyone were to tell you that the Todoriki couple were neglectful, well… they would be wrong! The Todoriki couple cared very much for their only son, Motohama. They tried to get in contact with their son since they got arrested last week. Unfortunately, by the time they reached Kuoh Police Prison in the evening, the police told them they weren't going to let them see their son because visitor hours had long passed. Phoning their son wasn't going to work because his phone had been confiscated by the police.

They couldn't do it any earlier because they had to work long hours and couldn't get these hours off, no matter how hard they pleaded, so they had no choice but to wait till their son's trial to see him.

When the trial came, they were finally able to see him but were shocked to see his left arm and shoulder being bandaged. They demanded to know why their son was injured, but nobody gave them an answer.

In the end, after Motohama and the others had been sent to Sakabasu Detention Facility, they and the Hibiki family were able to finally visit their children on Tuesday.

It turned out they too had undergone the same ordeal as they did and thus were also desperate to see their son again.

When they arrived at Sakabasu Detention Facility, it was wonderful! The wardens were delightful, polite and charming, unlike the police officials from Kuoh Police Prison.

They were so happy. Motohama and his friends were enjoying their time in the facility, learning and developing under their tutelage and care.

Both families went home that day, relieved from all the worries they had during the past week. Their sons were also glad to see them again.

The only one who didn't seem to be cheerful about it was Issei.

All he could now do was look back at the times he spent with them and cry in silence and loneliness, his only comforter being the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig.

For he would never see his parents again...

* * *

 **Please read and review!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I'll see you soon.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	14. Chapter 13 - Getting closer

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello again! It's me – Hide Shinyama!**

 **Sorry for the long wait. Our house has been changing providers and it took us some days, before everything was fixed. Plus, I also forgot to send this chapter to my home computer (because I write it at work whenever I have time).**

 **I really hope whatever has been interrupting my attempts to write my story will go away. I mean, I really am getting the creeps as to SGVsbG8gYWdhaW4u why it has been happening lately. I mean, it feels like my computer VGhlIGVuZCBpcyBuZWFyLg== is being hacked… as if someone is trying to take over my story.**

 **I don't know what it is, but I have the feeling something is going to happen. VGhlIG1vbWVudCBvZiB0cnV0aCB3aWxsIGNoYW5nZSBldmVyeXRoaW5nLg== Speaking of happening, what is going to happen to the perverted trio? Will the key Julie gave Motohama help them find Yuusuke? What is Julie hiding? What did Motohama find out about her?**

 **UHJlcGFyZSB5b3Vyc2VsZiwgSGlkZSBTaGlueWFtYS4uLiBmb3Igc29vbiBJIHdpbGwgYmUgaW4gY29udHJvbC4uLiBBaGFoYWhhaGEuLi4gQUhBSEFIQUhBSEFIQUhBSEFBQUEh**

 **[…]**

 **AND WILL THESE ANNOYING HACK MESSAGES EVER END!? *Sigh*…**

 **I guess we'll have to find out in…**

Chapter 13 – Getting closer…

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 8:43 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, dorm rooms_

Dinner had just ended and everyone was preparing to finish his or her final duties for the day and then go to sleep.

To Matsuda's relief, he found out that Nathalie was fine. She said she had something to do, which is why she got out of bed earlier. Matsuda made sure to ask her that after dinner. After all, asking this question in the presence of everyone else was foolhardy. Before they departed, Nathalie and Matsuda shared a kiss, something that had Issei seething with jealousy. Sure, Issei had a girlfriend and they had their moments of passion, too, but he never had sex with Sally – and his relationship began much earlier than Matsuda's and Nathalie's relationship.

Motohama on the other hand reflected on what Julie had told him earlier – about him being better off than the Issei and Matsuda. What did Julie mean when she said that their relationship wouldn't last very long? He didn't know, but he did know one thing. It was something that he had to tell the others, but couldn't do so with the wardens around them.

As soon as Motohama managed to get their ear, they agreed to convene their meeting as soon as possible. It took them quite a while, since they were out raking leaves again, but eventually they were able to finish their task. This is why Matsuda, Motohama and Issei retreated to their dorm rooms and were now sitting on Issei's bed. Issei's Boosted Gear was on his arm, in order to make Ddraig audible for everyone. Thus, all the participants had assembled and the meeting could commence.

 **[This meeting is officially in session. I, the Red Dragon Emperor Y Ddraig Goch, one of the two Heavenly Dragon Emperors now preside this meeting]** Ddraig announced with full formality and majesty. This caused everyone else of this formal-informal meeting to frown.

"Ddraig, what are you doing?" Issei asked with a frown.

 **[I always wanted to do this. This is a dream come true]** Ddraig replied.

"But this a totally unnecessary!" Matsuda remarked.

 **[Well… in hindsight, you may have a point…]** Ddraig admitted. **[Anyway, let us begin. Issei, tell everyone about our findings]** Ddraig told Issei.

"Why don't you?" Issei asked Ddraig. "In fact why not Motohama? He's the one who said, he had important information."

 **[First, because I am presiding this meeting. Secondly, because we want to get the less significant findings out of the way, lest we forget them once we talk about Motohama's discovery. Now, tell everyone what you have seen, council member Hyoudou]** Ddraig insisted playfully.

He sometimes wondered how Ddraig managed to become a Heavenly Dragon Emperor. He was such a troll sometimes and yet someone like him is one the Welsh flag. Nonetheless, Issei just sighed, before starting.

"Anyway…" Issei began. "Ddraig and I went around the building, trying to find Yuusuke, but to no luck. Since he is probably dead already… and rotting away, too… Ddraig thought we could smell him out, so we did. We tried our best but we couldn't find him. There is one good thing that we have to share, though…"

"What have you got? Do you have a clue?" Matsuda asked curiously.

To their disappointment, Issei shook his head. "No. Ddraig has been training me how to sense people's energy levels. He even taught me how to smell out things by myself, however…" Issei trailed off, leading to Matsuda and Motohama to wonder what Issei was going to say.

"However… what?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, quit beating around the bush. What happened?" Matsuda pressed Issei for answers.

Issei gulped, before continuing. "Ddraig had me dragonify my nose in return…" Issei admitted.

""WHAT!?"" Matsuda and Motohama shouted with their eyes bulging out. Issei flinched at their shout, before responding.

"It's just like I said, I turned my nose into that of a dragon's so that my sense of smelling could be enhanced. Ddraig told me that was the only way. I did so. It wasn't painful or anything, but it does feel kind of weird having a dragon's nose… After that, Ddraig taught me how to use it… and the rest is history…" Issei explained. Matsuda and Motohama moved closer to look at Issei's nose. They looked but it seemed like his nose was normal.

"But… I don't see any difference between your nose then and now…" Matsuda remarked.

"Yeah, if it's dragonified, shouldn't your nose look like a dragon's snout… or something like that?" Motohama asked.

Issei just chuckled embarrassed at that. "Well, it really did dragonify. Really… Ddraig made sure of it… Outwardly my nose stayed the same, but it really is different now…"

Satisfied, Matsuda and Motohama backed off. They still had one question, though.

"Say, how good are you at smelling things?" Motohama asked.

Issei just raised an eyebrow. "Like… What for example?"

"Like… I don't know… like something in the distance for example…?" Matsuda's eyes looked around, his eyes finally landing on something. "…Like the deodorant on the bathroom! That one always smells!" he pointed to the bathroom, which contained the deodorant. The bathroom was approximately three meters away from where they were sitting – not too far away from the bathroom, but still far away for anybody to smell anything from it.

"OK..." Issei closed his eyes and started sniffing. He tried to ignore the sweaty bodies of his friends, which stung his nose first. Issei wrinkled his nose. Issei resisted the urge to tell them to move aside, after all this was a good challenge. His nose finally picked up the scent of moist bathroom air, which was filled with a number of aromas, including… the toilet bowl, ugh! Following Ddraig's instructions on smelling, he blocked out all other smells and managed to find the deodorant.

"Guys! I've got it! I've got it!" Issei exclaimed. Matsuda and Motohama were also excited and exchanged high fives with each other. After settling down, Matsuda spoke up.

"Guys, this is great! Now, we can find Yuusuke!" he exclaimed excited. Issei nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… but the next time we do this, you guys should go take a shower first…" Issei muttered. The other two picked up what he said and looked at him questioningly.

""What?"" Matsuda and Motohama asked in unison. Issei quickly shook his head to dismiss what he had said.

"Nothing, nothing…" Issei replied with a sweat drop rolling down his face, hoping they wouldn't question him further on his comment. Thankfully, Ddraig came to his rescue and took over the conversation once again.

 **[Anyway… That was all we had to say… Now tell us, Motohama. What is it that you've found out?]** Ddraig asked, bringing everyone's attention to Motohama.

"Wha… Oh yes…" Motohama cleared his throat before beginning. "Well… Matsuda and I were checking out every door inside the building as possible, but there were so many of them and a significant number of them were locked. There was no way we could go in and check them all…"

Issei and Ddraig were frowning. Locked, huh? This was going to be a problem.

"While we were looking," Matsuda continued. "Julie came up and asked what we were doing. We managed to make up a lie on the spot, saying that we needed to toilet paper… which was true of course, thanks to a certain someone here…" Matsuda turned to glare at Motohama.

"Hey!" Motohama protested. "You'd do the same thing if you've been stuck in an illusion like I was!"

"Anyway…" Matsuda turned back to Issei and Ddraig. "…Julie opened one of the doors for us and gave us a toilet paper roll. She then told Motohama that she needed to talk to him in private, so we agreed to meet later. He went with Julie and I checked out the rest of the rooms on the floor, before calling it a day. There were just too many of them and that police driver was probably in those locked rooms anyway, so… what could I do?" Matsuda asked hoping the others would understand (which they did, if one were to judge by their nods).

"And what did you do after that?" Issei asked.

"I took the paper roll and put it in the bathroom. It's there now, so no problem doing some 'big business'. You know what I'm saying?" Matsuda asked. Everyone nodded. Well, at least that problem is solved.

 **[All right, thank you Matsuda. Now let us get back to you. What was it that you have found out, Motohama?]** Ddraig asked again.

"Yeah… about what that… I think I should tell you guys… what happened…" Motohama said. To everyone's surprise, his face became rather serious and melancholy. They wondered what was wrong with him, but decided to let him speak.

"Well after Matsuda and I separated, Julie and I went into her room," Motohama recounted, leading everybody to widen their eyes in shock and interrupt him immediately.

"You went into Julie's room!?" Issei yelled in surprise, before his mind made a certain conclusion. "Did you two have sex!?"

"How dare you do that, you b*****d!" Matsuda yelled in anger not realizing his hypocrisy.

 **[YEEEHAH! Ride my saddle, cowgirl!]** Ddraig said, deciding to join in the heat of the outrage with his… ridiculous trolling.

Motohama remained calm, despite all the outrage that was coming at him. Motohama took a deep breath, before he looked at Issei and calmly debunked what they said.

"First: No, we didn't have sex… even though we both wanted to…" Motohama replied, his face becoming a bit melancholy, as he remembered their conversation. He quickly managed to regain his composure.

"What do you mean by that?" Issei asked confused. How was something like that possible?

"I'll get to that," Motohama assured Issei, before continuing, as he turned to Matsuda with a deadpanned expression on his face. "Second: Matsuda. Even if I did have sex with Julie… you're the last person in this room to lecture me. After all, you had sex with Nathalie, remember?" Motohama reminded his friend, whose face turned away with an embarrassed blush, as he finally realized his own hypocrisy.

Finally, Motohama turned his face towards the Boosted Gear. "And last of all, Ddraig: SHUT YOUR FRIGGIN' MOUTH, YOU PERVERTED REPTILIAN! WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE SEXUAL REFERENCES COMING FROM YOU, CUZ' I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU A SERIOUS FRIGGIN' STORY, SO SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Motohama shouted, causing Issei and Matsuda to flinch back in surprise. Ddraig only grumbled at Motohama's retort.

 **[Perverted reptilian…? Grumble… grumble… Do not make me into a member of a potential perverted quartet… grumble… grumble…]** Ddraig grumbled. Seeing everybody silenced, Motohama resumed with his barely started story.

"Where was I… oh yeah! Julie and I went into her room, when… well… how should I put it? We were talking about the boundaries of student-teacher relationships," Motohama explained.

"Why? Were you two talking about getting into one? I mean, Sally and I did so and Matsuda and Nathalie did the same. So… I guess it's no wonder if Julie wanted to do the same," Issei reasoned. Motohama continued his story, not caring too much, about what Issei said.

"Eventually, I confessed to her…" Motohama said with a slight smile. "I told her how I fell in love with her...how many good things I learned from her… and because of that I asked her to be my girlfriend."

 **[Did she say yes?]** Ddraig asked.

"She didn't answer that… yet..." Motohama answered. "Instead, she asked me about what I thought about losing my virginity…"

"What for?" Issei asked this time.

"At first, I thought she wanted to have sex with me, but what she really wanted was to challenge my reasons on having sex in the first place," Motohama replied. "She told me that I shouldn't see my virginity as a burden or something that I need to graduate from in order to get into adulthood… but instead to see it as a treasure of a kind… so that… well… your first time may become precious…"

Matsuda and Issei just looked at Motohama with a frown. Clearly, they could not understand that kind of concept.

"Dude, why would you ever want to value your virginity?" Matsuda scoffed. "Having sex is… like the best thing ever!"

"That's right, man! Unlike loli-lover next to me…" Issei joined in, earning a frown from Matsuda for his comment. "…I may not have had sex yet, but even I can say that it's the best thing ever."

"Well… Julie and I don't deny that… in fact, we both want it – And we still do! It's just the timing and sharing your first time with the right person… that's what she wanted me to do… unfortunately…" Motohama lowered his face with a saddened look. Once again, Issei, Matsuda and Ddraig were worried for him.

"What's wrong, man?" Matsuda asked him concerned. Motohama stayed silent, before mustering himself up to speak.

"…she rejected me,"

""She rejected you!?"" Issei and Matsuda exclaimed incredulously.

"Yeah…" Motohama confirmed, still disappointed that he was the only one who didn't have a girlfriend.

"Dude… I'm sorry…" Issei tried to console his friend.

"Yeah, me too," Matsuda added, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Motohama nodded, he appreciated their concern, except that he wasn't done yet.

"Thanks, guys… but… at the same time… she did something… contradictory," Motohama revealed. Matsuda removed his hand from his shoulder a little surprised.

"Contradictory?" Matsuda asked.

"Yep… She hugged me and started crying. Julie told me how much she wanted to be together with me, but she couldn't… Julie said that circumstances prevent her from doing so… and that everything will be explained later… it was then that I realized something was wrong…" Motohama explained.

"W-wait! Hold up!" Issei interrupted. "What could possibly prevent Julie from pursuing a relationship with you? I mean, Sally and I have a relationship… and Nathalie and Matsuda have one, too! So we have at least two wardens ok with a teacher-student relationship, so why does Julie think she can't?"

"Yeah, but here's the weird thing," Motohama said. "There were two things that she did that bothered me." Issei, Matsuda and Ddraig paid attention to what Motohama just said.

 **[What were those two weird things Julie just mentioned?]** Ddraig inquired. Issei and Matsuda moved their faces a bit closer in curiosity. Was this what Motohama was building up to this entire time? Motohama backed away a bit, since he wasn't feeling comfortable being this close to his friends, yet nonetheless was ready to satisfy their curiosity.

"OK… here goes… number one: I complained to Julie at one point about how unlucky I am in being the last to lose my virginity among us three… Thanks you two…" Motohama threw a glare at Issei and Matsuda, who feeling intimidated, flinched back.

"Hey, it's not my fault that Sally said yes to me and Julie said no to you!" Issei said defensively.

 **[Partner, we're getting off track. Go on, young Motohama…]** Ddraig beckoned him.

"Anyway… Julie told me… that despite not ending up in a relationship like you three… for some reason… she thinks I'm… better off that way…" Motohama explained with a blank look on his face. Issei and Matsuda looked at Motohama as if he said something crazy.

"Why?" Issei questioned. "Is it because of the 'your first time should be precious' thing she mentioned earlier?"

"To be honest, I don't think it's that… Julie told me that your relationships with Sally and Julie wouldn't last very long for some reason…" Motohama answered, making his friends' eyes bulge out of their eye-sockets and remaining frozen like that with their mouths agape. Motohama looked at them worried, before he waved his hand in front of them.

"Uh… guys?" Motohama asked, concerned for his friends. That eventually became a fear for his own skin, when Issei woke up from his frozen state and grabbed Motohama at his shoulders.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WON'T LAST LONG!? DO YOU MEAN THAT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH SALLY WILL COME TO AN END!?" Issei demanded, shaking his friend, making him literally shaken up.

"I…I DON'T KNOW! SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY WON'T LAST LONG AND THAT'S THAT! NOW LET ME GO!" Motohama shouted frightened, begging Issei to let go, which he did.

Motohama took a while to recover, before speaking up.

"And that's the weird part. She says it won't last long, but the way how cagey she acts… I have the feeling that for some reason she knows something that we don't," Motohama said. However, as he looked at his two buddies, Motohama saw that Issei was lost deep in his thoughts and Matsuda was still frozen in shocked position. Only Ddraig was responsive.

 **[Wait a second, Motohama. I'll wake Issei up, you wake your friend Matsuda]** Ddraig instructed him. Motohama nodded and shook Matsuda awake, while Ddraig called from his consciousness to get him back.

"W-what…?" Issei said a bit dazed.

"OK… OK… Let me go! Sheesh!" Matsuda said a bit annoyed at how he had been shaken awake.

 **[Are you two awake?]** Ddraig asked, getting nods from the two of them.

[ **Good. Then let us continue]** Ddraig told the three of them. Motohama cleared his throat, as he repeated himself.

"I said that Julie was acting all cagey and suspicious when she told me about how short-lived your relationship might be. I think that she may know something we don't," Motohama answered.

"And… what makes you so sure of that?" Matsuda wondered.

"Well, that's where the second thing Julie did comes into play," Motohama explained. Motohama looked at his friends, who beckoned him to go on.

"After replying to my confession, she gave me this," Motohama pulled out something out of his pocket. Issei, Matsuda and Ddraig looked at what Motohama had in his hand. It looked like a key of some kind.

"Why did she give you a key?" Issei asked Motohama. He inspected to see if there was anything unusual about it.

"Well… that's where things got weird: Up until then, we were only talking about love, romance and starting a relationship. Then all the sudden, she gives me this key and tells me to… What did she say again? Oh yeah! 'Try out every door. Follow your smell. The door to the room that opens with this key will have what you're looking for.' I didn't know what to think about it, until I left Julie's room and somehow connected it to our search for Yuusuke. It made sense. Us three looking through every door, Julie showing up and giving me the key, in light of all this, it all made sense…" Motohama told them solemnly.

Ddraig, Issei and Matsuda had to take in everything they had just heard from Motohama. If Motohama was saying was true, then judging from what Julie had told Motohama that would mean…

 **[Julie! She knows!]** Ddraig deduced.

"She knows where Yuusuke is!" Issei said, jumping up from his bed.

"Of course…" Matsuda reasoned. "She saw how we were checking out the doors. And if she knows where Yuusuke is…"

 **[…then her cagey behavior and her giving Motohama the key... it all makes sense…]** Ddraig finished the conclusion.

"Yeah, but how does she know all that, if that were the case?" Issei asked. Motohama sighed sadly, raising Issei's attention.

"What's wrong, Motohama? Is there something else bothering you?" Issei asked concerned.

"Well… I had a suspicion… it's just a theory, but the more I think of it, it just makes sense…" Motohama told Issei.

"What theory? What else have you got?" Matsuda queried curiously. Motohama sighed again, before speaking up.

"…I was thinking… There's got to be a reason as to why Julie knows about Yuusuke…"

"How so, man?" Matsuda asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Well… I think… She may have been responsible… for his kidnapping…" Motohama explained.

""WHAT!?"" Issei and Matsuda shouted, causing Motohama to close his ears.

"Ouch! Guys, your shouts hurt my ears!" Motohama complained, taking his hands off his ears.

"Sorry, man… What you said just now… Are you sure? Do you think she may be working for the succubus?" Matsuda asked.

"I don't know… but Julie did say she couldn't be with me because of the circumstances… she also seemed quite upset… I wonder if this may be why…" Motohama reasoned.

 **[You are saying that Julie is feeling guilty for her involvement of Yuusuke's kidnapping… am I right?]** Ddraig concluded. Motohama nodded, before turning his face away, trying to hide the tears running from his face. The more he thought about how Julie may be one of the culprits in league with the succubus that has been after them for more than a week, just filled his heart with sadness. The fact that she felt guilty and sad about it, made it even harder for them.

"Julie… *sob*… Why Julie…? *sob*…" Motohama grieved. Issei and Matsuda wasted no time. They immediately gave their friend a good hug (in a bromance kind of way).

"It's ok, man…" Issei comforted his friend. "It's gonna be all right…"

"Yeah, at least she was honest with you. I mean, if she had ended up with you dishonestly it would have been worse…" Matsuda said, as he rubbed his Motohama's back.

"Why Julie… *sob*… why…" Motohama was shedding tears unto Issei's shoulders. Neither of them said a word for a moment until Ddraig spoke up.

 **[People… I do not like to interrupt, but we need to make a decision on what we want to do. Therefore, if you do not mind, here is my suggestion: We wait until all the wardens are asleep and then we check all the rooms. We sniff out every one of them until we find Yuusuke's remains. Then we will try opening the right door with the key. We start at midnight. Until then, make sure that you all stay awake. Do you understand?]** Ddraig advised the grieving and comforting perverted trio.

The perverted trio looked at the Boosted Gear and nodded their heads. They had no problem with Ddraig's plan, yet at the same time, they were too busy huddling among themselves. Ddraig loved to make fun of their pseudo-sexualized situation, but this situation was not something to be made fun of. After all, this was a real-life event full of shock, guilt, rejection and love.

Ddraig, being the mature dragon that he is (most of the time) decided to dismiss the Boosted Gear and himself, since Issei was too busy grieving with Motohama and Matsuda to do so.

And so, they sat there. Comforting each other on Issei's bed in the darkness (not in a sexual way of course!), grieving and strengthening their bonds with each other.

The sun had already set; the red glow of the evening had already passed away. The wind blew in the trees as the night came and replaced the day. The autumn leaves were falling down the trees and unto the ground, leaving the perverted trio with more leaves to rake for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, however… was not going to happen the way they expected it to be.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:25 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, lunch hall_

After leaving Motohama in the dorm room for some privacy, Issei went to the lunch hall. He was getting himself a cup and some apple juice to drink. Issei knew that there were bottles and carts of water and apple juice in the dining hall. The wardens said that they were there for everyone to drink and right now, Issei needed something to drink.

He sighed, as he remembered what Motohama told him not too long ago. For one, it was good that they finally had a lead on the missing police officer Yuusuke – and possibly even the succubus itself. To think that Julie may have been involved in Yuusuke's disappearance, however...

This came as a shock to him. Who would have thought that sweet, quiet Julie might be working with someone as devious and cruel as the succubus…? It just baffled Issei as to why someone would do something like that…

Then again… Why did Julie go out of her way to help Motohama find his body? If Julie were conspiring with the succubus, then… for what reason would she help him?

Issei thought about that, as he picked up a cart of apple juice and poured into his cup. He drank from it, as he let those thoughts go through his head.

Perhaps Julie felt guilty for what she was doing… That would explain why she broke down into tears earlier and why she gave Motohama that key. It could also be that Julie was forced to work with the succubus for reason. Yeah, and maybe Julie decided to undermine the succubus in secret by giving Motohama a lead.

Though wait! Something was weird about what Julie had told Motohama. What was it again…? Oh yeah, it was 'Try out every door. Follow your smell. The door to the room that opens with this key will have what you're looking for'. Using the key to try to open every door was one thing. But why would you follow your smell?

The obvious answer of course would be because Yuusuke's corpse was already rotting away. Just using the key to discover which room Yuusuke was hidden in should be more than enough. SO WHY USE THE SMELL AS A HINT? IT IS AS IF JULIE WAS AWARE OF DDRAIG AND THE BOOSTED GEAR AND WAS TELLING MOTOHAMA TO… QUhBSEFIQUhBSEFIQS4uLg==

!?

Issei put his cup down and looked around alarmed, as if expecting an enemy to show up. There was nothing. It was just like that other time last week. It felt like there was some kind of glitch. Issei didn't like this. Was it the succubus doing this?

Issei relaxed, took his cup in his hand again and drank the juice in one go.

This couldn't go on.

They needed to do something before anyone else gets killed.

Issei sighed as he sat down.

Speaking of strange: Motohama mentioned something about his and Matsuda's current relationships not lasting long.

Now why is that? What have Sally and Nathalie to do with this?

Issei shuddered as he realized something. Could it be that something is going to happen to them?

'No… not Sally…' Issei thought. He got up and wanted to find her – to see if she was OK. Before he could do more…

"Issei?" someone spoke up. "What are you doing here?"

Issei whirled around and saw the person he was looking for – Sally. She was already wearing her pajamas and slippers and it looked like she was going around to check up on the facility to see if everything was OK.

Issei went up to her relieved and hugged her. Sally yelped in surprise, and then giggled as she hugged him back. They faced each other and kissed. After they separated, Issei sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, you're OK…" Issei said.

"Umm… yeah… Why wouldn't I be?" Sally asked slightly confused. Issei hesitated a bit, before answering her.

"Umm… well… never mind! I'm just glad you're here, that's all!" Issei made up an explanation, something which Sally seemed to buy, if one were to judge by her cutesy giggling face.

"Oh, Issei…" she cooed as she kissed her boyfriend again. They continued kissing for a while, until Sally interrupted to ask Issei a question.

"Say… What are you doing here? It's already past nine. Shouldn't you already be in bed?" Sally asked.

"Well… I wanted to get a drink, so I came down here to get some juice before I go to sleep," Issei told her. Sally tilted her head in confusion.

"But… if you do that does that mean you haven't brushed your teeth yet?" Sally asked curiously. Issei just chuckled nervously.

"Well… yeah…" Issei admitted. Sally giggled again.

"You know… Drinking juice before you go to sleep is not good for your teeth. It leaves behind sugar in your mouth. You should drink water instead," Sally advised Issei.

"Huh? But I said I'm going to brush my teeth later," Issei responded slightly confused.

"No, silly," Sally playfully rebuked Issei. "Even if you do brush your teeth, it still leaves a sugar in your mouth that you could have avoided if you hadn't drunk juice."

"Really. Huh?" Issei asked, while looking at Sally with a teasing smirk. "Did you brush your teeth?"

Sally was a bit surprised at Issei's question, but she giggled about two seconds later. "To be honest, no… ehehehe…" Sally giggled. Issei chuckled as well.

"Well, I guess we both have sugary mouths with rotting teeth, huh?" Issei responded playfully. Both of them laughed, as Sally jumped on Issei and started kissing again.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:32 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, in the hallway_

Similar to Issei, Matsuda, too, left Motohama alone for some privacy. He, too, thought about everything that Motohama had told them.

Julie was a spy for the succubus… or so he thought.

Matsuda felt he was right all along. Nathalie was the best girl in the facility. Normally, he would have rubbed that fact into Motohama's face. However, after seeing Motohama's defeated and tearful face, Matsuda had to admit: This went beyond their petty contest.

Matsuda shuddered to imagine. How would he have felt if he had been the one rejected like that? Matsuda certainly didn't want to be in his friend's shoes.

As Matsuda paced anxiously up and down the hallway, Matsuda wondered just what were to happen if they were to find Yuusuke?

Would they call the wardens for help? Would they even be able to do that before the succubus found them and ambushed them?

Either way, they were going to have to fight… or do something worth the adrenaline rush.

But that wasn't the only thing bothering Matsuda.

He was also mystified over the words Julie said – about how his and Nathalie's relationship won't last long. Now why did she say that? Why won't it last long? If one were to judge Julie's connection with the succubus as a factor for saying that, then… could it be… that the succubus might do something to cut their relationship short?

"Something like this…" Matsuda said in seething anger with his teeth clenched. "…won't ever happen!"

"What won't happen?" a voice came from behind Matsuda, causing him to whirl around surprised. To his relief and delight it was Nathalie, who stood there smiling and in pajamas.

"Surprised to see me, Matsuda?" she grinned. Matsuda and Julie looked at each other, before they tackled each other in a hug. They wasted no time kissing each other, their kisses full of passion. They even stuck their tongues into each other's mouths as both of them treasured their presence.

They stopped to catch their breath for a few seconds, panting as they did so.

"Nathalie…" Matsuda said. His eyes shimmered in lust, as he pressed her closer to his body.

"*giggle* It only has been a few hours and you're already so horny…" Nathalie giggled, as she wrapped her legs around Matsuda's waist.

"Of course…" Matsuda responded as he panted. "After all, you're so beautiful in every way I could hump you forever…"

"Well then… Why don't we take it in my bedroom again?" Nathalie purred seductively.

Matsuda nodded quickly and carried her up to Nathalie's room. At that moment, he forgot everything about Motohama, the succubus and finding Yuusuke. All he cared for was Nathalie – and only Nathalie. One thing he did not forget though, something that he wished he could just forget about.

'What kinda nonsense is Julie talking about? Our relationship will never stop… I'll make sure of it…' Matsuda thought in defiance, as he smashed his lips against Nathalie.

They went upstairs as fast as Matsuda's legs could carry for another long-awaited round of lovemaking.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about [Time unknown] – [Location unknown]_

WW91J3JlIG1pbmUh

 **[looks around]**

 **What's going on?**

 **[…]**

 **Why am I on? Why am I on…? Why isn't the story continuing?**

 **[looks around some more, until realizing something]**

 **Seriously!? Whoever is doing this, stop it!**

 **[…]**

 **Anyway… back to my story.**

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:35 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, meanwhile with Issei_

Issei and Sally had just finished kissing and were just sitting next to each other on one of the tables. Sally leaned on Issei's shoulder, while they held each other's hands. They both felt the warmth of each other's presence and they were enjoying it.

While the two of them did so, Issei couldn't help but resume thinking on whatever ordeals he and Sally might face. Sure, he was strong and had the Boosted Gear, but that wouldn't help him against the succubus, Issei thought. Taking out a vengeful police officer was one thing, but back then, that rogue cop didn't know what Issei was capable of. The succubus was another matter altogether…

She or it had been watching him – maybe it already seen his fight with the rogue cop for all he knew. And what did he have, anyway? Issei wasn't skilled, he barely even got started with the Boosted Gear and judging what Ddraig had told him about it, he still had a long way to go. So… what was he going to do if things went south…?

"Issei?" said Sally, turning her face with concern towards Issei, which in turn startled him.

"Y-yeah?" Issei replied startled.

"You were spacing out for a while. Is everything OK?" Sally asked. Issei tried to brush it off.

"Yeah… I'm fine… I'm fine…" Issei said dismissively, though he partially resumed his musing. "I just… had to think about something…"

"Think about what?" Sally wondered. Issei thought for a while on whether to answer her or not. He decided to do so.

"Say…" Issei spoke up. Sally didn't turn her face, but she gave out a sound, indicating she was listening. "Do you think… that we can be together like this… forever…?"

Sally looked at him in surprise, before looking at him a bit saddened (much to Issei's surprise). She let go of his hand, turned her face away from him, and looked towards the hallway.

"So… it's about that matter… huh…?" Sally whispered. Issei didn't quite hear her whisper, but managed to hear something, making him curious.

"Umm… Did you say something…?" Issei wondered. Sally shook her head quickly, still looking away from him.

"No! It's nothing…" Sally responded.

"Oh… I see…" Issei answered. Just a minute ago, they were embracing each other tenderly, but now they had broken off and there was an awkward silence between them.

'Hmmm… I wonder what her problem is,' Issei thought. He wondered why she was so upset.

Sally finally decided to turn her face back to Issei. She looked at him tenderly, yet still saddened, as she answered his question.

"…To be honest… I don't know…" Sally replied, something that made Issei a bit unsettled. Deep in his heart, however, he had a feeling that their relationship… might not last forever. Why is it…?

"You're thinking about what Julie said to Motohama. Aren't you?" Sally interrupted Issei's train of thoughts. Issei looked at her flabbergasted.

"Wait. How did you…?" Issei wanted to know, but Sally answered him, before he could finish his question.

"Julie told me. She told me about how she rejected Motohama… and how she told him that Matsuda's and Nathalie's relationship and ours might not work…" Sally confessed. "…I figured Motohama must have told you, so… that's how I knew…" Issei didn't know what to say at first. He was shocked that Sally knew in the first place. Now, that he knew, he had to get the elephant out of the room first.

"So is it true?" Issei asked earnestly. "Is it true what Julie said about our relationship?"

Sally didn't say anything. She did nod her head in silence.

"Why?" Issei asked again a bit louder.

Sally didn't say anything again, but this time she proceeded to throw herself into Issei's arms. Sally's action startled Issei once again until he noticed that Sally was making muffled noises into his t-shirt.

She was crying.

Issei didn't know what to do. All he could do was to comfort her with his presence. He patted her head, trying his best to comfort her. As Sally continued to sob, Issei knew that something was wrong.

"I'm…" Sally started, trying hard to stifle her sobs. "…I'm sorry, Issei… I'm sorry… I love you… *sob*… I just wanted to be with you forever… but…"

Sally couldn't continue, as she started wailing. Issei hugged her close to himself, trying to console her. He didn't want to press her… not while she is like this, but he had to know.

"Sally…" Issei spoke softly, while stroking her hair. "I have to know… Why can't you be with me…?"

Sally sobbed for a few more minutes, before she calmed down and looked up into Issei's eyes. Her sky-blue eyes were shimmering with tears, as she began to speak.

"I… No, we… Monique… Julie… Nathalie and I… aren't really prison wardens…" she revealed to Issei's surprise. Issei couldn't believe what he was hearing. He blinked his eyes in confusion, as he stared at her with confusion.

"Wait… But you've bee-" Issei tried to say, but Sally quickly explained.

"Yes, we've been guarding you. We've also been teaching you… tutoring you… taking care of you… feeding you… But… While you were here… Haven't you asked yourself about why the quality of the detention facility is so good?" Sally asked Issei.

"Well…" Issei replied, while thinking a bit. "I have to say I was surprised at how good you've been to us all. I mean…" Issei chuckled, while counting all the good aspects of Sakabasu Detention Facility.

"…your tutoring sessions are great, the food is great, our rooms and beds are top-notch, all the classrooms are excellent and you yourselves are… great girls yourselves!" Issei commented, something that temporarily caused Sally to giggle a bit, before turning serious again.

"Yes… you're right. Everything is good…" Sally replied, before she looked away in shame. "…too good…"

"Too good?" Issei questioned.

"Issei… How many crimininals and offenders do you think are in Kuoh?" asked Sally, turning her face back. Issei was a bit annoyed at how she seemed to beat around the bush yet figured out that there has to be a reason for her question. Nevertheless, he couldn't come up with an answer, so he shrugged his shoulders.

"A conservative estimate is that there are about at least 1.200 of them inside Kuoh. At least 500 of them are serving their sentences in correction facilities, at least of a two hundred of them stay there for at least a year," she answered. Issei just nodded at her answer. He didn't know whether he should be shocked or not, since he knows little about these kinds of figures. He just beckoned her to continue.

"There are currently three such correction facilities in Kuoh, not counting Kuoh Police Prison. Now let me ask you this: Assuming that these two hundred are evenly distributed among these four facilities and that we are the fifth one. How many prisoners should logically be distributed here?" Sally asked.

"I guess it would be… forty each… I think…" Issei replied. Sally nodded her head.

"That's correct," Sally affirmed. "Now here's my next question: Have you ever wondered why only the three of you are here?" Sally asked.

Issei widened his eyes in realization. Something about how it was only the three of them here was weird.

"Yeah… Now that I think of it," Issei reasoned. "I did find it fishy that only Matsuda, Motohama and I were transferred here. There are plenty of bedrooms in this big facility and yet we were the only ones there. I always wondered why that was the case…"

Sally started to show a guilty expression on her face, as she continued. "…Not only that, but have you wondered why the facility is clean? No detention facility in the world is possibly this clean. Especially if it's this big…" Issei also found that aspect strange. Yeah, that was not normal. Issei tried to reply, but Sally went on.

"…Or why there are only girls like us with charming looks and demeanors that would swoon any man… or why we seem so perfect… or-"

"Sally!" Issei said suddenly, causing Sally to stop in surprise to hear what her lover had to say. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Sally recovered from her shock, before she spoke "…What I'm trying to tell you is…"

Issei listened intently, trying to hear her answer.

Suddenly, she turned her head around in panic. She looked around her in the dark lunch hall and to the ceiling, as if something was approaching. Issei tried to look about as well but couldn't find anything. While he was frantically looking around he remembered to use his newly draconic nose. Issei sniffed around and was certain that he smelled something from the distance but couldn't pinpoint where. Who or whatever carried that scent quickly vanished. Issei wondered what it was, however, Sally tugged on his shirt and looked at him with a sense of urgency, before speaking.

"Issei! You've got to get back to you room!" Sally urged him.

"What? Why? What was that just now?" Issei demanded.

"It's not safe here! Get back to your room, you'll be safe there!" Sally insisted. Issei hesitated since he didn't want to leave.

"Sally, I don't want to leave you…" Issei said, but Sally quickly shook her head.

"There's no time! You've got to go back to your room to the others! Don't worry about me… I'll be fine… I'll be…" Sally tried to speak, but she for some reason, she seemed to fall into a sleep of some kind. Issei grabbed her shoulders and tried to wake her up.

"Sally? Sally!" Issei tried to get her attention, but it was no good.

She was unconscious.

Issei got up from the table, he was sitting on, picked Sally up in a princess-carry and ran out into the hallway.

'Ddraig, what's going on? Sally just fainted right before she saw something suspicious. Did you see anything? All I did was smell and for a moment I thought I smelled something in the distance…' Issei spoke mentally to Ddraig.

 **[Yes, so did I. I didn't see anything, but I'm pretty sure that Succubus is behind this again]** Ddraig deduced.

'That succubus again…' Issei replied mentally, as ran towards his shared dorm-room. 'I should have known it was there…' He looked down at Sally and saw that other than being unconscious, she was completely fine otherwise.

Though wait! The way Sally warned him… Could it be that she too knew about the succubus? So, it wasn't just Julie alone who knew…

Issei decided to lay these thoughts aside for the moment. He had to get to the dorm-room where the other two were. That way he, Ddraig, Matsuda and Motohama could huddle together and fight the succubus together.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:46 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, in Nathalie's room_

Nathalie and Matsuda had just finished having sex on Nathalie's bed. Although, they have done it before it felt good every time they did so.

Yet, just like Issei the big mental elephant in his mind still was there.

"Nathalie… Do you think… our relationship could ever be cut short…?" Matsuda asked.

Nathlie widened her eyes in surprise. Matsuda immediately tried to defend himself.

"I… well… I'm sorry!" Matsuda apologized. "Forget what I said… I-"

"You talked to Julie, didn't you?" Nathalie asked, as her eyes looked downward sadly.

"Well… it was Motoha- Wait. How did you know?" Matsuda asked in surprise.

Nathalie sighed. "Julie told me about her conversation with Motohama… and I had an idea either he or she would have told you…"

"So…? Is it true… What Julie said about our relationship being doomed…?" Matsuda looked at her anxiously. To his surprise, Nathalie started to shed tears. She sobbed as she hugged Matsuda.

That action alone told Matsuda volumes. He hugged Nathalie tightly. It confirmed Julie's words, the future of their relationship and confirmed a theory he had been thinking after he had left the dorm room.

"Nathalie… You know about the succubus, don't you…?" he asked quietly. Nathalie nodded, as she continued to sob.

Yes. Matsuda had been thinking that if Julie knew about the succubus, then that would mean all the other guards knew about it as well, including Nathalie – perhaps even colluding with it. Matsuda had no way of confirming it, of course. For all he knew, it could have just been Julie who was in cahoots with the succubus. However, Nathalie's guilty tears and reply proved what he feared was the truth.

She knew about the succubus all along and was letting it prey on them.

Why…? They had come so far into their relationship… only for it to end so soon…? Why… was life so unfair? Why did the girl he gave his virginity to turn out to be working for the enemy?

As he was pondering all this, Nathalie broke off from her hug and looked into Matsuda's eyes in tears.

"Matsuda… You know I love you…" she confessed, tears flowing down from her face. "…but… we can't be together anymore…"

Matsuda froze in shock, before gritting his teeth in anguish. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't accept that. That he would be with her whatever the circumstances. But on the other hand, he knew that their relationship was built on lies on Nathalie's side. He knew such a relationship couldn't last long…

Frustrated, the bald-headed pervert started to shed tears. He leaned on Nathalie's shoulders for support. Matsuda didn't know what to do. He was lost… and grieved because of the turmoil of what he was going through.

Nathalie comforted him by kissing him on the cheek.

"Matsuda… I've said it before… My job here is to help you overcome your past and move towards the future… That is why… you have to let go of me…" she told him. Matsuda violently shook his head.

"I… I can't…" Matsuda said tearfully.

"You must… The succubus… is coming for you… she plans on consuming your souls… You and the others have to go… leave this facility… and us…" she told him in tears.

"I… I don't want to leave you behind… You can come wi-" Matsuda tried to persuade her, but Nathalie shook her head sadly.

"No… I can't… I cannot leave the succubus' influence… You on the other hand can… Find your friends and find the missing guard…" Nathalie instructed him.

"Who cares about him!" Matsuda wailed. "I don't want to…" he stopped speaking when he saw that Nathalie was becoming transparent.

"NATHALIE!" Matsuda shouted.

"Matsuda… there's not much time…" Nathalie told him, as she slowly faded away. "Listen carefully… the succubus will be coming to find you… so you've got to get back to them as quickly as possible… Find your friends and tell them this: You can't get out of this prison by breaking out like on the news or TV… You have to find the body of the prison guard Yuusuke, using the key Julie gave your friend… it's the only way… And as for us… you have to let me go… forget about me… You on the other hand… have a whole future ahead of you…"

"NATHALIE! NO!" Matsuda begged her. He wanted her to stay, but to no avail.

"…I hope you find someone who will love you… just as much as I did… Please… live on… I… love… you…" Nathalie smiled one last time tearfully, before disappearing...

Matsuda sat there, as he saw the love of his life disappearing before him.

He couldn't believe it.

She was gone! Just like that!

Matsuda broke down and wept on the bed, naked and alone.

He cried his heart out, just like Motohama had earlier. What Julie told Motohama earlier was right. Motohama was better off than the rest of the others. At least he never had to go through the heartbreak and pain that Matsuda had to go through… namely the heartbreak and pain of losing your girlfriend…

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:48 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, in the dorm-room_

Issei reached the dorm room. With one hand, he managed to open the door, despite carrying Sally in his arms. Inside, Motohama was still sitting on his bed in melancholy, but was quickly interrupted by Issei coming in. He was shocked to see Issei carrying Sally and immediately got up to ask what's wrong.

"It's that succubus! It's on to us!" Issei answered urgently, as he laid Sally on his bed. He gently laid her head on the pillow and covered her with the blanket on the bed.

Motohama widened his eyes at Issei's response. "That succubus! It's here?" Issei nodded.

"Yeah, we need to get ready! It could come any time fo- Wait a minute! Where's Matsuda?" Issei asked, as he looked around the room for his friend. Motohama just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know!" Motohama replied honestly. "He went out just like you did, though he hasn't come back until now."

Issei was filled with dread. The succubus was out there. Who knows here it was and if it knew the facility like the back of its hand then…

"No time to waste! I've got to find him!" Issei exclaimed, as he summoned the Boosted Gear.

"Wait… I… You…" Motohama tried to voice his objection but couldn't because of the hectic.

"Motohama, stay here and take care of Sally. OK?" Issei added, before he rushed out of the room.

Motohama stood there dumbfounded, yet fearful at the same time. He went to the unconscious Sally to see if everything was alright with her. So far, he couldn't see any problems with Sally. Her breathing was fine, she had no injuries… Maybe the succubus had cast a sleeping spell of some kind.

Motohama shuddered the moment he thought of sleeping spell being used. It reminded him too much of his experiences falling under the succubus' spell. Motohama looked at Sally in worry. He just hoped she didn't have to go through what he had to go through.

"I hope that succubus didn't do anything to you…" Motohama said quietly to the sleeping Sally. He reached his hand to her head to check her temperature. However, …

"What the…!" Motohama exclaimed.

Before his hand reached Sally's forehead, a bright flash happened, causing Motohama to cover his eyes. When he removed his hand, Sally was no longer lying in bed.

Motohama froze in shock at what had happened. Sally had disappeared! Before he could do anymore…

"You should be worried less about her… and more about you when I devour you…" a sultry, yet creepy feminine voice whispered into Motohama's ear.

The woman was holding him with a strong grip from behind, wrapping her arms around his body so that he couldn't move his arms. Motohama also saw the long black hair flowing down from her head.

If Motohama hadn't frozen in shock already, he was doubly frozen in horror now, his memories of psychological torture coming back to him

He recognized that voice.

It was the succubus.

"You always wanted to lose your virginity before you die, right?" the succubus asked seductively. "How about I take it and kill you slowly at the same time… now…"

Motohama reacted instinctively, not even considering her offer for a second. He may have been a pervert who would have given into such an offer. Right now, however, his horror and will to get out of here was stronger.

"NO!" he screamed in a panic. Motohama headbutted her, hitting her left eye. She immediately let go, rubbing her eye in pain.

Not being distracted by her scantily clad black one-piece suit and high heels, Motohama grabbed the blanket on Issei's bed and threw it over her. A second later Motohama pushed her to the ground and ran out of the door, slamming the door shut behind him.

After a few seconds of untangling she threw off the blanket and got off the floor. She dusted herself off, as she looked to the door in anger.

"Just you wait you little brat…" the succubus hissed dangerously. "…This is my facility… It won't be long before I get my hands on you…"

* * *

 **Took me long enough!**

 **Hello everyone. It has been quite some time, hasn't it?**

 **Anyway, let's discuss the chapter.**

 **Now, our perverted quartet (Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig) is now filled in on what Motohama knows and figured out. And yes, unfortunately Julie was collaborating with the succubus at some point. However, it seems there is some redemption for her because of the things she said and the key she gave Motohama, you know.**

 **Things are really starting to unravel here. As you may have already realized, the facility is anything but normal. I mean what kind of facility has cute girls as guards, top-notch food, good tutoring and comfortable beds? They might a few of the things listed here, but not cute girls!**

 **And the truth is coming out, too. All the wardens, probably have at some point worked together with the succubus, fully knowing its goals.**

 **To make things worse, Nathalie has faded away and Sally disappeared in a flash – all because of the succubus.**

 **What is going on? What's happened to them? What about Julie and Monique? Are they going to disappear as well? Where are they anyway?**

 **And yes, the succubus has appeared in the flesh right behind Motohama. Thankfully, Motohama managed to put up a fight and run away.**

 **Now all that's left is for the perverted quartet to find each other and to find Yuusuke.**

 **You're probably wondering why finding Yuusuke is a must, well… you'll find out soon…**

 **Man! All these hacks are annoying! Sorry for the disruption right in the middle of the story. But I get the feeling that as the story goes on, the worse it gets! That was me earlier by the way wondering what was going on. I feel like somebody is trying to drag me into the story or something.**

 **This is seriously creeping me out!**

 **First: all these random decrypted codes are constantly interrupting my story.**

 **Second: My narration gets hijacked.**

 **Third: A creepy poem show up.**

 **And now: The focus of the story is now being turned on me!**

 **I mean what is this? Well, whatever the case I'm not IT-specialized, nor do I have the time or will to call one who is. All I can do is just wait and see what happens next.**

 **Speaking of happening, I think we should take a look at Kuoh and the devils again.**

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:55 pm – Occult Research Club, Kuoh Academy_

A red-haired big busted girl was looking out the window of the occult research club, looking at the beautiful moonlit night sky.

Normally, students shouldn't be on academy grounds at night but being the sister of a Maou and co-ruler of Kuoh gave her a lot of privileges. Plus, the club was kind of like a second home to her.

While she sat on the sofa, the spectacle-wearing student council president Sona Sitri came in, wearing the same serious look as ever.

"Rias, I've got something about that detention facility called Sakabasu Detention Facility that the perverted trio were sent to," she said. Rias turned around to look at her friend with a bit of confusion.

"I thought you wanted to check out the court and the judges?" Rias asked.

"I did," Sona replied. "But I didn't find anything there, so I did the next best thing and looked up the Sakabasu Detention Facility on Google."

"And…?" Rias asked, gesturing her friend to go on.

"Nothing," Sona simply replied.

Rias frowned slightly at that. "If you've got nothing to say about that facility, why did you come here to tell me about it?"

"No, no… You misunderstand," the student council president quickly corrected Rias. "I mean to say for a prison facility there's nothing online. No website, no article, no mention anywhere or anyhow."

Rias widened her eyes at that. If what Sona said was true, then that meant…

"If that facility is somewhere in the outskirts of Kuoh, then that means that something supernatural is operating on our territory without permission and kidnapping people," Sona concluded.

"Do you think it could be any of the Grigori or Heaven?" Rias asked. Sona shook her head.

"No, if it was the Grigori they would probably target Sacred Gear users and the only one with a Sacred Gear was Issei Hyoudou. Matsuda Hibiki and Motohama Todoriki didn't have any," Sona told Rias. Hearing that Issei had a sacred gear, piqued Rias' interest.

"And what Sacred Gear did Hyoudou have?" Rias asked.

"I don't know. I also know that Heaven and the church, though not perfect, would definitely not do something this low, seeing as they completely disavowed themselves from the Holy Sword Project – at least officially. So, I can presume it is some independent actor. Maybe even a stray devil," Sona explained.

Rias got up from the luxurious-looking sofa to stretch herself.

"Either way, I think we should check out all the surrounding region of Kuoh then. I'll get Akeno, Yuuto and Koneko to come along. Are you bringing your peerage along?" Rias asked.

"Yes… It's better to be safe. We don't know who or what is out there," Sona said as she got ready to go.

As she went, she turned around breaking her normally serious façade with a small smile.

"Let's go…" Sona said.

 **Please read and review. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I'll see you until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	15. Chapter 14 - It's here!

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello again! It's me – Hide Shinyama!**

 **Sorry for the delay. I was rather busy… and worried… because of you know… and long writing…**

 **But I don't want to hinder with the recaps so… Here is…**

Chapter 14 – It's here!

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 9:51 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, 1_ _st_ _floor_

"Matsuda! Matsuda! Where are you, man? Talk to me!" Issei shouted desperately.

Issei was currently running around the hallway on the first floor (British definition), looking for Matsuda. Issei had desperately been trying to find his friend ever since he left the room. He had been looking high and low with the Boosted Gear out and ready. He didn't care if any of the wardens saw him, all he cared was to find his friend and save him from a certain succubus.

He threw open every door, even breaking some, as he tried to find Matsuda. Eventually, he came across the door to Nathalie's room and opened it. As soon as Issei looked inside, he widened his eyes at what he saw.

What Issei found was the form of Matsuda collapsed and naked on the bed.

"Na…tha…lie… *sob*" Matsuda sobbed bitterly.

Issei looked at his friend with sadness (and some shame for being naked).

'Why is Matsuda naked? And why is crying?' Issei asked Ddraig mentally.

 **[I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure he and Nathalie had sex, if one were to judge by the smell of the bed-sheets]** Ddraig replied.

Issei sniffed and nodded his head in affirmation. 'Yeah, I think you're right… I should have known he would have done that.'

Being the good friend that he is, Issei went over and threw part of the blanket Matsuda was not on over him to cover his nudity. Issei made sure that his face was not covered (he didn't want to be too mean to Matsuda, while he is down).

"Dude... Wear some clothes. I don't want to look at your naked body like this, you know?" Issei told Matsuda with a little firmness in his voice.

Matsuda stopped sobbing and looked up to Issei. His tears still stained his reddened face, as he nodded meekly. Issei handed him his clothes and Matsuda started putting on his underwear. Issei sat down on the bed and looked away, while he did so.

It took about half a minute before Issei decided to speak.

"Matsuda?" Issei said. Matsuda had just put on his pants. He didn't turn around, but nonetheless responded.

"Yeah?" Matsuda asked quietly.

"Why… were you crying?" Issei asked calmly, yet curiously.

Matsuda had a stoic expression on his face. He didn't feel like talking but he knew he could trust Issei. What made it difficult for him were the memories of what happened just a few minutes ago. He started tearing up, as he started to explain.

"Nathalie… just vanished…" Matsuda spoke, as a tear rolled down his face. This piqued Issei's attention, as he turned around.

"What do you mean 'vanished'?" Issei asked. Matsuda spoke on, struggling against the tears that were threatening to spill out.

"Nathalie… told me that she too… knew about the succubus…" Matsuda said stoically.

"WHAT!?" Issei shouted in surprise, causing Matsuda to wince. After recovering for a few seconds, Matsuda continued his explanation, while Issei looked in disbelief.

"I know, right? I couldn't believe it myself. But she also… told me something else… something important before she vanished…" Matsuda said sadly. Issei frowned a little, as he still didn't get the answer to his question.

"Again, I don't understand. What do you mean by 'vanished'?" Issei asked.

Matsuda shed another tear, before speaking. "She... literally… faded out of existence…" Matsuda said, swallowing a lump down his throat. He managed to resist bursting out in tears as he remembered Nathalie fading away slowly.

Issei said nothing. All he did was widen his eyes in surprise at what he heard.

Nathalie fading out of existence… This was getting worse than he had expected. Now Issei understood why Matsuda was grieving and it certainly was a terrible experience for anyone to go through.

'Damn that succubus!' Issei thought angrily. 'It has gone too far now!'

While Issei fumed in anger, Ddraig spoke up from the Boosted Gear. **[Young Matsuda, you said something about Nathalie telling you something else. What did she tell you?]**

Matsuda lifted his head to face the Boosted Gear in confusion. Then he remembered what he was going to say and nodded a little.

"Oh… yeah…" Matsuda replied, before clearing his throat a bit. All that crying made it hard for him to speak, yet he knew that he had to say this. After all, Matsuda was about to tell them something that was vital for their survival… namely Nathalie's words to them.

Trying to shake his grief away, Matsuda finally spoke up. This caused Issei to turn his attention away from whatever thoughts and plans he had for the succubus and focus on Matsuda instead.

"As I was saying, Nathalie told me… she couldn't be together with me anymore… because of the circumstances… kind of how Julie rejected Motohama…" Matsuda explained as neutrally as possible, though there remained a hint of sadness.

'Matsuda… You too?' Issei thought sadly. He just remembered back when Sally told him the same thing not too long ago. It seems like all the girls knew about the succubus.

"Anyway…" Matsuda sighed continuing where had left off. "…she told me… us… to get out of here as soon as possible… leave the facility. I tried to convince her but she was already fading away. She told me… *sob* that it was impossible for her to leave. She told me… *sob* to live on… she told me… how much she loved… me…" Matsuda broke down in tears again, burying his face into his hands. Issei went to comfort him, but before he could put a hand on his shoulder, he heard footsteps outside.

"GUYS! GUYS! WHERE ARE YOU!?" a voice shouted outside desperately. Issei and Matsuda perked up, since they recognized that voice.

"Motohama?" Issei said. He got up and went to the door, opening it. He found his friend in the hallway, panting heavily. It seemed like he was running for some reason, though what was he doing here? He told him to watch over Sally.

As they saw each other face to face, Motohama sighed in relief. He quickly went to Issei and into Nathalie's room, the first shutting the door behind him.

"Oh thank goodness!" Motohama exclaimed, as he calmed himself down. "I thought I was going to die alone out there!" He then noticed Matsuda's crying face.

"Hey, what's the matter, Matsuda?" Motohama asked worried. "Why are you crying? Did something happen?"

However, Issei got up to his face, before Motohama got an answer.

"Motohama! What are you doing here? I told you to stay in the dorm room and watch over Sally!" Issei told him. But Motohama was quick to reply.

"I'm sorry, man. But… Things are getting out of control here…" Motohama replied.

"What do you mean?" Issei demanded from Motohama.

"I mean… Oh well, I think I'll explain from the beginning. After you left, I did as you asked. I watched over Sally in your bed, but then she just vanished in a flash and…" before Motohama could finish, he was interrupted by a shocked and outraged Issei, who grabbed him by the shirt with his Boosted Gear.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'DISAPPEARED'!? HOW DID SHE DISAPPEAR? WAS IT THE SUCCUBUS AGAIN!?" Issei demanded dangerously. Motohama raised his hands in a panic to tell Issei to calm down.

"Yeah! It was! And she appeared right behind me, too… right after Sally vanished! She said she wanted to have sex with me before she killed me! I'm lucky to even be alive! I managed to knock her down before escaping! I had no other choice! You've got to believe me!" Motohama pleaded, causing Issei to let go of him. Issei went to the side of the bed and sank down despondently. He muttered quietly to himself in worry and frustration.

"First Nathalie… now Sally! All the wardens are disappearing one by one… Now that succubus is coming for us, too! On top of that she's appearing in person and attacking us… this just keeps getting worse!" Issei ranted quietly. Motohama looked at Issei in confusion, before he turned his face to Matsuda, who was no less shocked at what Motohama had just said.

"What was he talking about Nathalie and then Sally? Can you tell me what's going on?" Motohama asked his friend.

"Nathalie vanished in front of me… just like Sally did, apparently…" Matsuda explained.

Motohama widened his eyes, before looking at the still upset Issei. If Sally and Nathalie disappeared, then that means…

"I've got to go!" Motohama exclaimed, ready to storm out the door.

 **[Stop! Where do you think you are going?]** Ddraig demanded, causing Motohama to stop.

"Where…? Isn't it obvious! I've got to stop that succubus from killing Julie and Monique! If they're still out there, then I can still…" Motohama tried to explain, but Ddraig cut him off.

 **[Don't! You're only putting yourself at risk by doing that! Besides, I think it's too late for them anyway. If the succubus wanted to take them out, then it probably already has, so running out there like a headless chicken with no plan or weapons is suicide. Now sit down!]** Ddraig commanded him with a voice of seriousness that he had never heard the perverted dragon talk before. Thus, Motohama went towards the bed and sat down right between Issei and Matsuda.

 **[Now]** Ddraig told the perverted trio. **[Now that everyone has calmed down… Motohama. I want you to tell everyone what that important thing was that Nathalie told you.]** Matsuda nodded at Ddraig's request.

"Uh, yeah… well… before Nathalie disappeared… she told me that the succubus is out to get us…" Matsuda said. Motohama then interrupted him.

"Wait, she knows about the succubus, too?" Motohama asked incredulously. Matsuda sighed. He did not feel like explaining things a second time – even more so if it is a heartbreak that involves his love life and on top of that happened just recently.

"Yeah… she does… unfortunately… Anyway…" Matsuda said quickly moving on. "…she told me to find you guys and tell you to find Yuusuke the prison guard by using the key Motohama has." Issei, Motohama and Ddraig couldn't help but frown to the advice Nathalie gave them.

"Wait. Why should we find Yuusuke… if the succubus is out to get us? I mean we could fight but seeing how dangerous that is… shouldn't we like… break out of prison or something instead?" Issei asked. The others expressed their agreement to what Issei said as well.

"Yeah… about that…" said Matsuda. "…Nathalie said that the only way out of this place is to open the door where Yuusuke is hiding in… breaking out of prison like in TV won't work, she said…" Now, the other three were confused.

"How does that make sense?" Motohama questioned skeptically. "Why should breaking out not work? I mean all we could do is to climb over the walls. I mean, it's not like the succubus has guards to stop us, right?" After Motohama voiced his opinion, Issei himself also had a metaphorical light bulb over his head.

"I know! Why don't we use the Dragon Shot to blast a hole into the wall?" Issei suggested. Motohama hit his fist in his open hand in approval.

"Yeah that's an even better idea!" Motohama exclaimed. However, Ddraig seemed to think differently.

 **[People, as much as I don't understand why Nathalie would say something like that I think it's best to follow her advice and find the door Yuusuke is hidden behind]** Ddraig advised.

"But Ddrai-" Issei stared but was cut off by Ddraig.

 **[No buts! Nathalie must have given an advice like that for a reason. After all, she was working for the succubus at some point. Plus, even Julie seemed intent on helping you find Yuusuke. And even that hint screamed of something that needs to be done, right Motohama? You were the one who talked to Julie, so you should know best]** Ddraig reasoned with Motohama, hoping to appeal to his sense of reason.

Motohama thought back. Julie did tell him to use the key to find Yuusuke (and use his nose, too) that can't be denied. Now why was that? Now that he thought of it, Julie knew just as much about the intentions of the succubus as Nathalie did. Therefore, if Nathalie hypothetically "knew" that the only way out was to find the right door with the poor victim Yuusuke, then that would mean that Julie would know that as well. Of course… It made sense…

"…then logically if one were to assume that both Nathalie and Julie were both suggesting the same solution – and both of them knew about the succubus's plan, the layout of the prison and possibly whatever traps and hijinks (if there should be any) may be around the detention facility – then what would mean… that finding Yuusuke… is a must…" Motohama accidently mumbled aloud to himself.

Ddraig couldn't help but applaud at Motohama's logical conclusion (not literally, he was in the Sacred Gear and thus couldn't really applaud).

 **[Well done… young one… I think you explained everyone very clearly on why finding the lost police driver Yuusuke is necessary]** Ddraig said.

Motohama looked up in surprise and saw that everyone was paying attention to him.

"Ummm… Did I say it out loud?" Motohama blushed out of embarrassment.

"Yes, you did," Matsuda responded with a nod.

"You know… now that I think about it…" Issei spoke up. "There's something I should tell you guys about Sally told me." This caused everyone in the room to turn their attention to Issei now.

"What? What did she say, Issei?" Motohama asked intrigued.

"She told me – before she lost consciousness – that she, too, couldn't be with me forever just like you guys…" Issei told them, his face becoming a bit somber

"Huh… I guess we're all the same, aren't we?" Matsuda remarked.

"Yeah… I guess we really are destined to be a trio of friends…" Motohama added.

Issei nodded in agreement. "Yeah… except that someone here lost his virginity here ahead of us!" Issei looked at Matsuda with a small glare. Matsuda was taken aback by Issei's retort but to his relief didn't pursue the matter and continued with his story.

"Anyway… Sally told me that she and the others weren't really wardens," Issei explained.

"Huh?" "Really?" Matsuda and Motohama asked respectively.

 **[Indeed]** Ddraig continued. **[She was pointing out that the facility is way too good to be true, for instance the food, the quality of education and the wardens themselves… they're too good to be true. Plus, haven't any of you noticed that a facility like this only has the three of you as inmates?]**

Matsuda and Motohama rubbed their chins in a detective-like manner and thought about what Ddraig said for a while.

"That's right… to be honest, the food here was better than I imagined it to be… and even I thought us being the only inmates was… kind of weird," Matsuda remarked.

"Yeah… to be honest everything about this prison is better than I had expected… So, I guess you're right…" Motohama added.

"Exactly!" Issei affirmed. "When I asked what she was trying to tell us we were interrupted by the succubus. Sally told me to get to safety, before she fell unconscious. I managed to sniff out the succubus from the distance. She was the one who did this to Sally!" Issei said grimly, his teeth gnashing in anger. Issei clenched the Boosted Gear into a fist as well, trembling as he thought back on how he left her behind. If only he could have carried her with him, then this would not have happened!

Matsuda and Motohama just cowered in fear because of Issei's intimidating aura.

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig called out. **[Being worked up about it won't solve out, so calm down…]**

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear, then at his frightened friends. He calmed down and loosened his fist.

"Sorry, guys…" Issei apologized. Matsuda and Motohama, having calmed down now, nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

 **[People. I am not sure what she was trying to say, but I'm pretty sure she was trying to say that this facility is not a normal facility]** Ddraig told them.

The others just looked at the Boosted Gear with a deadpanned look.

"Uh… duh! I think that's clear to everyone…" Matsuda replied.

"No offense, Ddraig, but… a place like this with pretty girls and top-quality facilities and what-not is definitely out of the norm – in a good way! Even though there is a succubus haunting this place, trying to kill us…" Issei remarked.

 **[You misunderstand. Yes, this place is all the things you just said. What I am trying to say is that there is more to this facility than meets the eye…]** Ddraig explained, causing the perverted trio to look at the Boosted Gear with questioning looks.

"What do you mean? I don't quite understand…" Issei asked.

"Yeah. What do you mean by that? Could you be more specific?" Motohama requested.

 **[I don't know!]** Ddraig replied annoyed at first, then showing a sense of unease. **[Something about this facility gives off the feeling that… something about this place… doesn't feel right… I don't know what it is… but whatever it is, I feel like… this facility is more than just hijacked or even controlled by the succubus.]** The perverted trio widened their eyes in shock at what they heard.

"Controlled!" Matsuda expressed in surprise.

"Ddraig, are you sure?" Issei asked worried.

"I hope not! If what you're saying is true, then…" Motohama said as he looked around in worry. "…I'm not even sure we might be able to get out of here alive!"

 **[Calm down everyone. As I said, I don't know. The only way how we can solve the mystery is by finding Yuusuke. So, let's get ready]** Ddraig said his voice brimming with determination and a bit of excitement. **[We're on a body hunt and we're not stopping until we find that body!]**

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama just dropped a sweat at what Ddraig said.

"""You sound so weird…""" they responded in unison.

 **[Hey, no it doesn't! Those are the words of true adventurers!]** Ddraig insisted.

"Yeah… whatever…" Motohama replied. "Anyway, speaking of going out and finding him. What are we going to do when we come across the succubus along the way? The last time she managed sneak up from behind me and… uh… well it doesn't matter…" Motohama's flustered behavior seemed a bit suspicious for Issei and Matsuda, but they decided to let it be and let their friend continue talking.

"…She did so right after making Sally disappear. I couldn't even sense her coming from behind. Luckily, she was only toying with me, however after beating her up the last time… I don't think she'll be so kind the next time we meet…" Motohama shuddered at the narrow escape he had with the predatory supernatural creature (even though he had to admit that having her boobs pressed against his back did feel good for a bit back there).

"Well one thing is for sure," Issei responded. He lifted up his hand in front of them and raised his index finger. "First things first! We need to follow the advice Julie gave Motohama. We check out every door, sniff out Yuuskue's body and then we open the right door with the key Julie gave us. Motohama, do you still have it?"

Motohama fumbled in his pants pockets to see whether he still had it. Thankfully, he managed to find it and pulled it out.

"There. Here it is, guys," Motohama said, as he showed everyone the key in question.

"Good," Issei nodded. "Ddraig and I are capable of sniffing out Yuusuke's body with our noses, so no problem there. Now we need to find out a strategy on how we are going to check out every door."

"Umm… we just open the doors one by one, right?" Motohama asked confused by what Issei was trying to say.

"No, doofus! He's probably asking in what order we are going to open the doors, like all the doors on the first floor and then all the doors on the second one," Matsuda corrected Motohama.

"Exactly," Issei confirmed Matsuda's explanation. "I think we'll even go with Matsuda's plan and then go to the ground floor, if there are no objections of course," Issei looked around to see if anyone would object. None of them did, making the brunette smile as a result.

"Good. We're making progress. Now, all that's left is to find a way how to fight off the succubus. I may have the Boosted Gear to fight her off, but you two do not. So… any ideas?" Issei asked the two obviously weakest members of the perverted quartet.

Matsuda and Motohama were troubled. Indeed, fighting the succubus the way they are is suicide. Like Motohama said earlier, he got lucky before but this time the succubus won't hold back.

Matsuda and Motohama thought furiously, they needed to find some kind of strategy or some kind of weapon that they could use against it… But what?

They looked around and then laid their eyes on certain objects around the room. Motohama laid his eyes on the blanket he was sitting on and Matsuda glanced at the curtains.

"Issei. Move," Motohama simply said to Issei. Issei was surprised at what he was demanding, but quickly complied. Issei watched as his friend took the blanket, while discovering that Matsuda was tugging at the curtains. It seemed like those were their weapons of choice.

"Issei, help me take down those curtains," Matsuda told Issei. Issei did so and the wooden pole holding the curtains came crashing down. All three of them flinched from the crash, but Matsuda recovered and quickly removed the loops of the curtain from the pole as good as he could. He did have some trouble removing them from the ends, so he asked Issei for help.

Issei on the other hand gestured Matsuda and Motohama to hold on for a moment.

"Guys, what are you two doing?" Issei asked the two of them.

"We're trying to make our own weapons," Motohama replied.

"Yeah, and right now the covers and the pole are the next best things to a weapon here," Matsuda added.

Issei didn't know what to say. Granted, that was true… but… will this really be enough? Issei pondered on what to do. The blanket, the curtain and the wooden pole might prove useful for self-defense (it's still better than nothing). However, the question now they had to figure out how to use it properly.

 **[Partner]** Ddraig spoke to him after reading his thoughts (they are connected to each other after all). **[I think I've got some pointers on how to use it.]**

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama perked up and decided to hear what Ddraig had to say. What followed was an exchange of ideas Motohama and Matsuda originally had (including how Motohama used a blanket on the succubus the last time to get away). Ddraig also told of his plan and thus they were ready to set out.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 10:29 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, 1_ _st_ _floor_

The perverted quartet of Issei, Ddraig, Matsuda and Motohama were walking down the hallway with their "weapons" ready.

Matsuda was carrying the 1,5-meter-long pole on his left shoulder and the curtain covers on his right arm. Motohama carried a blanket with him ready to throw it on the succubus when the time comes. Finally, Issei had the Boosted Gear, of course – a gauntlet that allowed him to double his power every ten seconds, ready to smash it into the succubus. If that didn't work, he could use the Dragon Shot – a powerful beam that can obliterate walls (for example).

The problem of the Dragon Shot was using it properly. Issei only managed to use it at least once, so he had yet to get the hang of it. Issei was getting worried – and so were Matsuda and Motohama – but Ddraig told them not to get too stressed for getting panicked would only work against them.

And so, they decided to have Motohama try to open every door. If it opened just like that they would all look inside to see if anything was suspicious and if not, then Motohama would use his key. None of the locked doors would open, so they would move on to the next.

The others would look around and keep guard to make sure the succubus didn't ambush them from behind. Issei in particular used his nose to sniff out the succubus. Thankfully, there was no sign of it, so they moved on to the next door and the next door. Some doors opened without the key and naturally didn't have Yuusuke in them. Others were locked and couldn't be opened.

Eventually they finished checking all the doors on the floor with no success. Motohama turned around and looked at the others with a hint of fatigue.

"That's all the doors on this floor. Man, I'm pooped," Motohama stated, wiping the sweat away from his forehead.

"Yeah! There are quite a lot of doors here… I hope we get to find that police driver pretty soon because," Matsuda remarked.

"Indeed… I think we've gone through forty doors or so here. I just wonder what those rooms are here for…" Issei commented, leading Matsuda to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm… maybe to keep more inmates?" Matsuda said. "I mean, a lot of those rooms are bed rooms after all."

Issei just dropped a sweat and rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Ahahaha… Well… that's true…"

 **[If you're done talking, I suggest we check out the doors on the second floor next]** Ddraig advised the perverted trio.

The others threw the Boosted Gear a glare.

"Yeah, yeah… Don't rush us, Ddraig," Issei said annoyed, as the three of them walked towards the staircase at the other end of the hall.

While there Issei left out a sigh. Matsuda and Motohama noticed that and looked at curiously.

"Hey, what's the matter, man? Are you worried about having to fight the succubus? I know I am. At least you have Ddraig on your arm and we only have some blankets and a pole," Matsuda said, as he lifted up the curtain covers first and then the pole.

"No, it's not that… It's just something about what I learned about Yuusuke when that police officer came here the other day…" Issei spoke, as he looked into the distance impassively. Motohama raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What police officer? And when did it happen?" Motohama asked.

"I think I told you once, didn't I?" Issei replied, turning to face Motohama. "You know… the time when I went for the bathroom and I discovered Monique talking to the police officer…"

"Ahh…" Motohama voiced, as he remembered what Issei was talking about.

"As I was saying… I told you back then that Yuusuke was the police officer's older brother, right?" Issei asked the two of them. Both of them nodded their heads.

"Well, I was thinking just how sad he looked… about his brother being missing… So I was thinking… how are we going to tell him… and the rest of his family the sad news?" Issei asked.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei mildly surprised. Come to think of it Issei was right… Yuusuke was a human being with family and friends just like them. Yeah, telling them about the news if they were able to is something they had to do as human beings.

Speaking of which, Issei had lost his parents… people who were close to him… people who loved him… right before his eyes! At least for Issei he knew they were dead, but… not so for Yuusuke…

'Issei…' Matsuda thought sadly. '…when you thought of Yuusuke… you were thinking about his family and yourself, weren't you?'

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei's face, which was still impassive, yet… sad at the same time… though with a hint of determination.

A determination… to find Yuusuke… and take down the succubus!

Motohama and then Matsuda looked at their friend with a warm smile on their faces. Together they were going to find that poor guy Yuusuke and get out of here.

As they approached the end of the hallway towards the staircase Issei and Ddraig sensed something soming from behind them, while Motohama make a remark.

"I just hope we don't come across the succubus any time soo-"

WW91IGhhdmUgcmVjZWl2ZWQgb25lIG1lc3NhZ2U6

"Uhh… Can you hear me?"

 **What!?**

VGhvc2UgYXJlIGFsbCB0aGUgbWVzc2FnZXMu

"Everybody down to the ground!" Issei called out to his friends, as he whirled around to fire the charged beam at something behind them.

They ducked quickly and Issei fired.

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

The beam fired, the heat seared through the hallway and tore through the wall at the other end of the hallway.

Issei saw a shadow that jumped out of the way just a few meters behind Matsuda and Motohama. That shadow jumped towards Issei, catching Issei by surprise.

"Oof!" Issei let out, as the shadow pounced on him, leading to Issei lying on the ground with no one else on top of him other than...

"The succubus!" Issei exclaimed, as he looked up at the angered succubus. He may not have seen her before, but judging by her ability to dodge his Dragon Shot and her curve-showing outfit, she logically had to be the succubus.

'Quite sexy…' Issei had to admit. 'But less so, if she is a man-eating creature!'

Issei tried to pry her off him, but the succubus grabbed his face with her left arm and shoved him unto the ground.

"You little brats!" the livid succubus shouted. "I've waited long enough for this moment… and I will not have some human brats take away what rightfully belongs to me!"

"Tell me…" Issei said during his struggle. "…what did you do to Sally and Nathalie…?"

"Worried about them, eh?" the succubus replied haughtily. "Oh, you don't have to worry. You'll be joining them soon enough – in the afterlife!"

Issei gritted his teeth in anger at what the succubus said. He tried to get her hand off his face, but her grip was too strong.

"UGH!" the succubus gave out, as she fell sideways.

It turns out that Matsuda had just used the curtain pole to hit her across the head, thus allowing Issei to get up.

"That was for Nathalie, you b****!" Matsuda exclaimed angrily. He went over to Issei to help him up.

"Thanks, man!" Issei said as he smiled at Matsuda and got up.

The succubus on the other hand was furiously clutching her head in pain.

"You… will pay!" the succubus growled at Issei and Matsuda. She readied a magical orb in her hand.

 **[Partner, watch out!]** Ddraig warned Issei. **[That orb is dangerous! If you get hit, you might not love to see the next day! If you boost your powers, you might have a chance against it.]**

Issei nodded and sure enough, the Boosted Gear kicked in.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei's power doubled, but it would take another ten seconds till his strength doubled again. Until then…

The succubus had already charged her orb to the desire strength and was about to fire it on the two humans before her.

Thankfully, that never came to be.

"BLANKET THROW!" Motohama shouted from the side, just outside the succubus's view range.

She turned and saw the crumpled, heavy blanket fly towards her and wasted no time throwing her orb towards it. The blanket was incinerated and the hallway just received more damage from the exploding orb that crashed into the ceiling further away.

Motohama managed to escape unharmed, thanks to his quick ducking skills.

"You think the same trick would work twice?" the succubus asked Motohama angrily. She was ready to create another orb and fire it. But because she was focusing all her attention on the cowering Motohama, she neglected the other two of the perverted trio, one of whom was running towards the succubus.

"YAAAHHH!" Issei yelled, as he threw a punch at the succubus.

The succubus was too late to dodge and was thus, to her surprise, punched into the wall with a yelp. The impact of the punch left her lumped against the wall and dazed.

"Come on, you guys! Let's roll!" Issei called, as he rallied the other two. They both ran over and were starting to punch and kick her.

The succubus, who was lying on the floor, was trying to block the punches and kicks, but to no avail, until…

 **[Everybody back! Now!]** Ddraig commanded the perverted trio. They obeyed just in time, jumping back as they did, to see the succubus throw some gray smoke, which obscured their view.

 **[Stay away from it! This kind of smoke is meant not only for escape!]** Ddraig warned them again.

"What is it for?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[This gas is also meant for illusions and putting people to sleep! I suggest you get rid of it!]** Ddraig told Issei.

"Got it!" Issei replied, as he steadied his hand for another Dragon Shot.

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

The beam shot forth and cleared the smoke before hitting the wall. It left a hole in the wall just beneath the staircase. However, the succubus herself was gone.

"Where did she go?" Matsuda asked, as he, Motohama and Issei looked around themselves.

 **[She's gone]** Ddraig replied. **[She probably used that smoke to gain herself a tactical retreat. However, she'll be back. So, I advise you three to stay on your guards.]**

The three of them nodded. Issei then looked at Matsuda and Motohama.

"Thanks, you two. If it wasn't for you, I'm not sure I would have survived for long," Issei thanked his friends. Matsuda and Motohama chuckled shyly and rubbed the back of their heads in response.

"Oh, please… It was nothing. Ehehe…" Matsuda chuckled.

"Besides, without your Sacred Gear and Ddraig we would all be dead," Motohama said.

"Well that's true. However, you threw that blanket on that succubus. That saved our lives back there," Issei replied.

"Yeah… though now that I think about it… The succubus disintegrated it. Now I don't have anything to defend ourselves against…" Motohama said with concern.

 **[You can always find some other kind of weapon on the way]** Ddraig told Motohama. **[For now, we will check the second floor.]**

Everyone nodded, though Motohama still was concerned.

"I still wonder what kind of object I should choose," Motohama insisted.

Issei, Ddraig and Matsuda thought for a while and looked around them. After a few seconds they found an object of interest.

"Hey, hey, Motohama! I've got the perfect choice for you!" Issei exclaimed excited, as he pointed at a certain object.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 10:38 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, 2_ _nd_ _floor_

The perverted quartet had just reached the end of staircase on the second floor. They were looking around wearily for any possible attacker. Motohama on the other hand was too busy complaining.

"OK, this is ridiculous!" Motohama complained, as he carried a portrait of a ridiculous dancing lion with a tutu under his left arm.

"What? It's the best we could find!" Issei replied.

"If you don't like it you could always take the lamp that was near the painting," Matsuda joked. This earned Motohama a small frown.

"Haha… Very funny!" Motohama replied sarcastically.

 **[Focus, people… Remember the drill]** Ddraig reminded the perverted trio.

"Yeah, yeah… we know…" Issei answered nonchalantly. The others nodded as well, before they got to work.

Issei was sniffing for any unusual scents with his dragon nose, Motohama temporarily laid aside his improvised portrait weapon and was checking the doors and rooms once again, while Matsuda had Motohama's back and kept watch for the succubus (brandishing his make-shift staff at the same time).

While Motohama was checking out the doors and trying out the locks with his key, the three of them were conversing with each other once again.

"Say, Matsuda?" Issei spoke up.

"Hmm?" Matsuda responded. He turned his face towards Issei, while taking a break from guarding the hallway.

"How are you holding up… you know… after what happened to Nathalie?" Issei asked cautiously.

"Oh…" Matsuda responded, his face receiving a saddened look. "Well, I guess… What about you?"

Issei looked at Matsuda in surprise. He didn't expect that question. Nonetheless, he managed to find a response.

"I'm fine, too… I guess," Issei responded. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to get awkward between the two perverts. Losing the loves of their lives to what seems to be an uncertain death was not an easy subject to talk about. Inwardly, Matsuda was still grieving for the loss of Nathalie. The memories of her fading away, while saying her last words was still hard for him. It was a miracle that Matsuda was able to hide his grief so well.

The same went for Issei. Unlike, Matsuda, he never saw Sally disappear. In a way, that made it harder for him when he found out what happened to her from Motohama. Issei gritted his teeth. That succubus… was going to pay…

Motohama looked at the two of them and tried to find a way to break the awkward silence. He thought for a few seconds, until he found something.

"Guys, uhh…" Motohama said, getting his friends' attention. "…Why don't we move on to the next door… and… uhh… I wonder what happened to Julie and Monique… I hope they are ok…" Motohama said awkwardly, as he moved to the next door.

Matsuda and Issei looked at Motohama quizzically, but decided nonetheless to engage in conversation with him.

"Yeah… I hope that, too…" Issei replied.

"Yeah, I just hope we can find them before the succubus does, in case she hasn't done that first…" Matsuda added.

Hearing this reply, Issei started wondering about something in that regard.

"I wonder where they could be hiding…" Issei mused. Matsuda looked at him with a slight frown.

"Up here… maybe downstairs… I don't know… how am I supposed to know?" Matsuda responded. Issei frowned back himself.

"Well, I wasn't asking you. I was just talking to myself…" Issei said annoyed. Matsuda clicked his tongue in annoyance, as the three of them moved to the next door.

"You know guys, I just realized something," Motohama spoke up, as he tried (unsuccessfully) to open the next door. This piqued Ddraig's, Issei's and Matsuda's interest.

 **[What? Did you find something about the police officer's whereabouts?]** Ddraig asked.

"No…" Motohama responded, much to everyone's disappointment. "…I was just wondering how that succubus managed to sneak behind us all this time."

This statement caused their disappointment to turn into a sort of intrigue. Yeah, now that they thought of it, the last time the succubus attacked them, she was able to approach them almost undetected. What makes it worse, is that the succubus can attack from their blind spots. Truly, such creature cannot be underestimated.

"That is a legitimate concern," Matsuda said, looking all around him as a precaution. "The only way anybody could do something like that, is if they had full knowledge of the facility and knew where to hide."

 **[You're right, but it's not only that]** Ddraig said. **[To carry out something like that one must be fully capable to erase one's presence and go everywhere, anytime. Hiding in the facility is one thing, but erasing one's presence is quite another.]**

Motohama raised his eyebrows quizzically. "Huh? I don't get it."

Ddraig sighed at Motohama's incomprehension, yet nonetheless, complied to answer him.

 **[Hiding, like hiding behind a wall for example, is one way of preventing people from discovering you. However, if one is able to sense the energy of living beings like I am, then one may be able to hide, but not necessarily erase one's presence** ] Ddraig explained to Motohama.

"So… how do you think that succubus was able to do that?" Motohama asked curiously, as he went to the next door to check (which had nothing of any importance inside).

 **[I don't know. It could have been able to raise a shield of some kind to mask its aura and scent. However, if I were to guess, I think it uses a combination of masking its aura and teleportation]** Ddraig explained further.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama gulped. An enemy that can hide and teleport anywhere and anytime it likes? This was going to be tough…

 **[That is why you must be careful. Keep your eyes open, for this kind of enemy loves to prey on its prey via ambush. It's a low tactic, yet effective. So again: Keep your eyes open and your weapons ready at all times]** Ddraig ordered them.

The perverted quartet (minus Ddraig) nodded, as they moved from door to door.

They looked around wearier than usual, as they expected the succubus to appear behind them any second now. They did not want to be caught off guard. Honestly, they were lucky the last time the succubus attacked them. They weren't so sure when she might attack the next time.

While Motohama was checking out the doors (still no success by the way), Matsuda suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, Issei!" Matsuda said.

"Yeah, what's up?" Issei replied.

"Can you try using that Dragon Shot attack again?" Matsuda requested.

Issei and Motohama looked at Matsuda with a flabbergasted look on their faces because of the request.

"Are you crazy!?" Motohama exclaimed upon hearing Matsuda's request. "Why would you want to use it now?"

Matsuda raised his hands up in reassurance. "I know. I know. It sounds like a crazy idea, but hear me out, OK?"

Issei and Motohama didn't say anything, thus signaling Matsuda to continue.

"OK, what I had in mind was to use the Dragon Shot to get a good idea on how powerful it can get and how well you…" Matsuda pointed at Issei. "…can use it. Besides, it's also good for practice."

Issei scratched his head, pondering for a while on how to respond. Ddraig managed to speak up first.

 **[Partner, I have to admit. That's not such a bad idea** ] Ddraig said much to Motohama's surprise.

"But wait a minute!" Motohama protested, as he finished checking one of the last doors on the second floor. "You've seen how much damage that Dragon Shot attack did downstairs. What if the whole building collapses because of it?"

 **[That is a possibility…]** Ddraig answered. **[…However, if Issei here practices lowering the volume and power of the Dragon Shot we might actually have a better chance of lowering the damage any future attack might cause.]**

Despite Ddraig's attempts to persuade Motohama, he nevertheless remained unconvinced.

"No way! What if Issei does a wrong move and destroys the whole place?" Motohama argued.

"It's certainly worth a try," Matsuda replied. Then Ddraig spoke to his host.

 **[Partner, charge up a beam. Make sure that you don't put all your power behind the Dragon Shot, but instead imagine a narrow piercing beam and then shoot]** Ddraig told Issei.

"You mean like Piccolo's 'Special Beam Cannon'?" Issei questioned.

 **[I'm not sure what that is, but if it fits the description then why not]** Ddraig replied with sigh. Even though Ddraig knew about Dragon Ball (I just picked the original name, since I didn't feel like using the Canon version's name "Drag-So Ball" or something like that) he didn't know much but figured out Issei had the right idea.

Issei lifted up the Boosted Gear and aimed it towards the end of the hallway. However, Motohama put his hand on the Boosted Gear in order to make him stop.

"Don't do it, man! You'll endanger our lives!" Motohama warned him urgently. Matsuda jumped into the fray to remove his arm.

"Leave him! Let him try!" Matsuda told his friend. But since neither Motohama nor Matsuda were willing to back down, it turned into a struggle for Issei's arm as it was pulled here and there.

"Let go!" Motohama demanded.

"You let him go!" Matsuda insisted.

Poor Issei tried to break free from the two of them, while trying to maintain his concentration and making sure not to fire it prematurely.

"Guys! Stop it! Both of you!" Issei told them, trying to wriggle free from his squabbling friends but to no avail.

 **[All of you stop!]** Ddraig commanded them. That too did not help either.

And so, the three of them were tussling and struggling (they laid aside their improvised weapons on the ground to do so) for Issei gauntleted arm until…

"Whoa!" Issei gave out, as he tripped over Motohama's legs during the struggle and fell backwards.

Everything seemed to be going in slow-motion, as Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig looked on in horror as the Boosted Gear… was ready to discharge its beam!

"OH, CRAP!"

"OH, F***!"

 **[Partner!]**

Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig were all shouting at Issei in a panic. Issei fell on his back, so that his arm accidently aimed towards the ceiling at a 45-degree angle from the ground. Then…

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

The beam shot out. To everyone's surprise, the Dragon Shot was a narrow piercing beam with a 10-centimeter diameter – not like the normal Dragon Shot, which was almost as bis as the hallway.

But more surprising…

"GAAHH!"

A dreadful scream rang through the air, as the beam hit the ceiling. At first, Issei thought that someone was one the roof. However, then a bloody severed arm fell from out of nowhere right in front of Issei's eyes. Where that arm came from, Issei would find out in a matter of seconds.

The succubus fell down to the ground with her left arm missing, screaming in agony, as she clutched her armless stump in agony.

Everyone stood (except Issei who was on the floor, of course) there dumbfounded. Not only did Issei managed to create the narrow Dragon Shot and so avoid any needless death and destruction, but he also managed to take the succubus's arm as well!

Issei scrambled to get up after his surprise and prepared another Dragon Shot to finish off the succubus. But the succubus was faster, although she could have easily attacked him with magic of her own, charging for another attack was painful (and would take too long as well). Instead, she decided to use her smoke again, disappearing once again as Issei maintained his distance from the smoke.

 **[Partner, the same Dragon Shot! Again!]** Ddraig instructed Issei. Issei focused once again, imagining the same shot as before and then fires, succeeding once again. The succubus's smoke disappeared after being evaporated by the intensity of the Dragon Shot's heat once again.

After that, Issei wiped his sweat from his brow.

"Whew! That was a close call!" Issei said relieved.

"Yeah! I didn't even see her coming," Motohama commented with a shudder.

"Me too. Man, it's scary to think that she could appear anywhere at any time!" Matsuda agreed.

 **[Yes, but you know what is even more dangerous? Engaging in a tussle for the Boosted Gear while it's charging! What were you thinking! You were lucky that the Dragon Shot hit the succubus and not any of you!]** Ddraig scolded them.

""Sorry…"" Matsuda and Motohama replied, looking downwards in shame.

 **[Well, it's all right]** Ddraig said, letting this one slide just this once. **[To be honest, even I didn't see the succubus coming. Your tussle may have actually saved our lives, so I guess your foolishness did some good.]**

Matsuda and Motohama just rubbed their heads in embarrassment nonetheless.

 **[Partner, that Dragon Shot was fantastic. Keep it up!]** Ddraig remarked. Issei blushed a bit because of the flattery.

"It's nothing great… I'm still learning… ehehe…" Issei brushed it off humbly.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a pitter-patter from the roof and the marks that were staining the floor right beneath the hole Issei's Dragon Shot had created.

"Ah, man!" Motohama complained.

"It's raining!" Matsuda complained as well.

"It's pouring!" Issei complained next.

 _The old man is snoring, He went to bed and bumped his head and couldn't get up in the morning._

?

"Ddraig are you trolling us again?" Issei asked.

 **[Huh? What are you talking about?]** Ddraig asked confused. Matsuda and Motohama looked at the Boosted Gear critically.

"Don't play coy with us. You just took everything we said just now and turned it into a nursery rhyme!" Motohama said annoyed.

 **[People, I'm serious. I didn't say anything]** Ddraig insisted.

"Well, then who did?" Matsuda asked skeptically.

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"What was that?" Issei looked around wearily.

"Do you think it was the succubus?" Matsuda asked.

 **[For some reason I don't think so. I mean after losing an arm and escaping there's no way the succubus is able to do something like this… not for the moment at least]** Ddraig said.

The perverted trio looked at the bloody arm that was still lying on the ground, before nodding their head in agreement. But if the neither Ddraig nor the succubus said that… then… what did?

"Guys," Motohama spoke up, gaining the attention of his comrades. "Do you think… that the succubus may have someone else helping her?"

The others widened their eyes in shock.

"You… you might be right!" Issei agreed.

"Yeah, it would make sense. Who knows what else might be out here," Matsuda added.

 **[Anyway, whatever it was. There is no point sitting here and thinking about it for the moment. I suggest we look through the remaining doors on this floor before heading down the ground floor. I don't like it here, so the sooner we find Yuusuke, the less likely we have to deal with this supernaturally infested facility and whatever foes are here as well]** Ddraig told the trio.

All three immediately nodded, picked up their weapons and quickly checked the remaining doors. Again, no Yuusuke was found here, so they all hurried back to the staircase.

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 10:56 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway on the ground floor_

The perverted quartet was walking down the familiar hallway where the classrooms are. It was dark and the rain outside was intense. Yet the hallway itself was spooky compared to the upper hallways. It probably had to be because the lights were off here, while the lights were on upstairs. So, the perverted quartet…

"OK, who's calling us 'perverted quartet'?"

…tried to switch on the light, but to no avail. Although, they… Huh?

 **[Yes. Whoever it is don't lump me together with a mere human trio. I, one of the Heavenly Dragon Emperors, am far beyond such a trio.]**

Huh? Hey, wait a…

"Shut your mouth, Ddraig! You're very much a part of us – especially me. And don't even try to deny all the perverted remarks you made about us in the past."

 **[Sigh… And that's probably the saddest part of it all… Being stuck with a bunch of boob fetishists]** Ddraig sighed in fatigue.

""SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU PERVY OLD DRAGON!""

 **WILL YOU LET ME FINISH!? HOW ON EARTH CAN YOU GUYS EVEN HEAR ME AND…? You know what? Forget it!**

 ***Sigh* Where was I? Oh, yes…**

Although they knew the drill, all four of them were getting tired. Having non-working lights didn't make things easier.

"When will this stop?" Motohama groaned.

"Yeah, this is getting boring!" Matsuda complained.

"Keep it together, guys!" Issei encouraged them. "We just have this floor left and then we will find Yuusuke."

"I know, but… can we just skip the classrooms? I mean, there's no way any corpse would be hidden in there," Motohama argued tired.

"Agreed. Can we skip those?" Matsuda said wearily.

Issei seemed to think for a moment before he asked Ddraig.

"What do you think, Ddraig?" Issei asked the Red Dragon Emperor.

 **[I'd say we'll skip the classrooms. What Motohama said, makes sense…]** Ddraig reasoned.

"Good," Motohama sighed in relief. "Then that's settled. Let's start with the room over there," he pointed at the door at the end of the hallway. Before they could start walking Ddraig halted them.

 **[Wait. I think I've got a better idea. Partner, sniff out the area with your nose]** Ddraig told Issei.

"What?" Issei asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **[Remember what Julie said about sniffing out the right room? Or in other words… sniffing out Yuusuke's body?]** Ddraig clarified.

"Hasn't he been doing that already?" Matsuda asked confused.

 **[In a way, yes. But Issei hasn't been using it to its fullest potential. Dragons have strong noses. They can smell at great distances – even miles away. So, I've been thinking… Try that instead. That way we can save all that walking and checking]** Ddraig suggested.

"OK… I'll give it a try," Issei said. He closed his eyes, as he focused hard. When sniffing with dragonized nose, it felt like he was moving through the facility, like a ghost flying through the hallway – except in smell only. Issei wondered why he didn't do that before.

'Seriously, I am an idiot. We should have done that from the beginning and saved us the trouble of walking around and checking all the doors,' Issei thought. 'Then again, I guess I have to make it a habit to use this draconic nose.'

Issei concentrated as well as he could, coming across all kinds of scents like his buddies' sweaty bodies ('Ugh!' Issei thought), the smell of the stuffy wooden class rooms, the smell of food in the kitchen (he thought it remarkable that he was able to smell them) and finally the uncomfortable smell of a smelly, moist area that Issei had never smelled before.

Issei wrinkled his nose in disgust. His other two buddies noticed this.

"Did you find him, Issei?" Matsuda asked.

I don't know… All I could find is… some kind of area that smells like it hasn't been cleaned in years… ugh!" Issei said in disgust.

"Great! Now we're getting somewhere," Motohama exclaimed joyfully.

"So… where is it?" Matsuda asked with anticipation.

Issei didn't reply. Instead, he faced in a certain direction and then walked towards it. The others followed suit. They went here and there moving through hallways until they came towards the end of one particular hallway on the other side of where they were.

In this area were two doors, one at the end of the hallway and another to the end of an extension of the hallway that branched off to the right. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were getting excited as they looked at both of the doors. They were near. They knew it. Now they were consulting which door to take.

 **[Hmm… Judging by the doors there do not seem to be any keyholes… so those can't be the doors to this key…]** Ddraig commented. Matsuda, Issei and Motohama looked in shock.

"What? You mean to say this is a dead end?" Matsuda asked incredulously.

"Do you mean to say that Issei's sense of smell was wrong?" Motohama asked desperately.

Issei gulped. He just followed the most suspicious smell he could… Was that really the wrong lead?

 **[I didn't say that]** Ddraig clarified. **[In fact, I believe that right now, we're on the right track. Just… I feel like that there's more behind those doors than I thought.]**

The three teenagers looked at the doors. They weren't sure what was behind those doors, but the only way to find that out… was by opening them.

Issei stepped forward. He reached his hand for the door directly in front of them. His heart was beating wild over the excitement and fear of what lay behind these doors. Before his hand reached the doorknob, suddenly Issei and the others heard a noise coming from the door on the right – like something was charging up. He knew that sound…

"EVERYONE GET AWAY!" Issei shouted, before jumping away – just when the door was blasted to smithereens by a destructive magical orb that narrowly missed Issei. Matsuda and Motohama also managed to back off, as the orb blew up the wall near them. The explosion threw all three of them away from the door and unto the cold floor.

The three of them looked in horror for they knew who the culprit behind the attack.

"Come on! I thought her arm was blown off! Shouldn't she be recovering!?" Matsuda exclaimed in agitation, as he stood up, brandishing his make-shift staff.

"This wench doesn't know when to give up!" Motohama got up as well and raised his make-shift portrait shield.

Issei also stood up and started boosting.

 **[Boost!]** Issei's power doubled instantly.

As the dust subsided, the succubus appeared with her arm still missing and her teeth gritted in anger.

"YOU… LITTLE… BRATS! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" the succubus shouted, as she charged for another orb.

Issei reacted quickly. Seeing her at only four meters distance, he used the short distance to his advantage to launch a punch with his gauntlet. However, the succubus was faster and kicked Issei in the face, making him fall backwards.

""ISSEI!"" Matsuda and Motohama shouted in horror at their friend being injured.

"JUST DIE, PREY!" the succubus shouted, as she finished charging her orb, ready to end Issei's life. Issei winced in pain, before he looked in horror as the orb was seconds away from being unleashed.

 **[Partner, get up!]** Ddraig shouted.

Issei didn't move. He stood there frozen, convinced that this was the end. He could have died, if Matsuda hadn't acted. Matsuda shouted, as he charged, raising his staff to hit her once again.

However, the succubus seemed to have learned from last time and moved her arm to suddenly aim at Matsuda instead.

"FINE, YOU CAN DIE FIRST!" the livid succubus shouted, as she fired her orb.

"GET DOWN, NOW!" Motohama yelled the split-second the succubus fired her orb.

Matsuda, as if on reflex, threw himself on the ground. Motohama, being no idiot, practiced what he preached and did the same.

"DAMN YOU!" the succubus cursed. How long would these persistent humans defy her? She wanted them dead for making her lose her arm and they will die!

Seeing that the succubus had used up her shot and was distracted for a few seconds, Issei tried to get up and boost once again.

 **[Boost!]** His power doubled once again.

Hearing the sound of the Boosted Gear, caused the succubus to focus her attention on Issei once more. She stepped on Issei's torso with her high-heels, causing him to cry out in pain.

"YOU IMBECILE!" she cursed, as she tried to crush Issei with her heel. Issei tried to wrench her off him but couldn't because of her strength.

Matsuda rushed at the succubus once more with his pole raised. The succubus gave him a quick round-house kick, causing Matsuda to hit his face against the wall. That kick left Matsuda dazed.

Unfortunately for the succubus, she couldn't recover from her kick fast enough because Motohama followed up from behind Matsuda and raised up the portrait of the ridiculous dancing lion.

[WHACK!] The side of the portrait hit her square in the face… or would have it wasn't for the succubus's only arm, blocking off the portrait just in time and sending Motohama an evil glare.

Motohama widened his eyes in shock at this, he tried to hit her again. But the succubus kicked him in the stomach, causing Motohama to clutch it and stumble backwards.

 **[Boost!]** Issei's power doubled again.

He was angry at how his friends were getting hurt and how he was helpless to stop the succubus… until the memory of a dream he once had rushed into his head.

 _Flashback_

' _Issei, calm down! When you are in a desperate situation like this, you must make sure to turn the disadvantage to an advantage!'_

 _Flashback end_

'Of course, that's it!' Issei thought. He knew what he had to do now. Issei grabbed her leg with his gauntleted left arm and the stiletto of her high heel with the right one. Then Issei used his enhanced strength to grip them.

The succubus cried out in pain, as she saw Issei crushing her leg. She tried to stomp him with her other heel. Being hit in the face once… twice with a high-heel was sharp and painful. Issei even felt his consciousness slipping because of the impact of being stomped in the face but Issei didn't let go. He gripped tighter and tighter until…

[CRACK!] [CRUNCH!] Two similar sounds came from the succubus's leg, as she fell down to the ground.

"AAAAGH!" the succubus screamed in agony once more, she clutched her leg with her remaining arm.

Not only had Issei broken off the stiletto from one of her high-heels but her also crushed the lower part of her leg, leaving her foot dangling and bent at an unnatural angle. She screamed in pain, being unable to attack. After Issei recovered a bit from being crushed by a stiletto (And boy! He sure didn't want to go through that again!). he went over to the still helpless succubus and shoved his gauntleted arm into her face and pinned her unto the floor – not unlike how she did to him not too long ago.

"Before you die, I want to know. Where are Julie and Monique?" Issei demanded. After moaning and grunting a bit, the succubus spoke.

"Who knows…" she replied defiantly. In response. Issei used more force on her face, making her scream.

"Where is Yuusuke!?" Issei demanded forcefully. After her cries subsided, she talked once more.

"Not very far from here…" she replied with a groan.

"Good. Now, you can go to sleep," Issei said coldly, raising her head and was ready to slam it into the ground. But then the succubus laughed, causing Issei to stop.

"What's so funny?" Issei demanded from her.

"Nothing… nothing… ahahaha…" the evil supernatural woman laughed. "…It doesn't matter what you do to me. My plan will come to fruition."

Issei narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What plan?" Issei interrogated the succubus.

"You'll find out… soon enough… Ahahaha… AHAHAH- Ugh!" the succubus laughed before Issei slammed her into the ground, thus knocking her out unconscious.

Issei stood up and went over to his friends.

"Guys? Are you OK?" Issei asked them. Matsuda, who was sitting against the wall and clutching his head because of the throbbing pain, answered first.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Matsuda answered with a smile, picking up his staff as he stood up.

"Me too," Motohama added, as he got up with his portrat. "Being kicked with high-heels is painful but nothing deadly at least."

 **[That's good to hear]** Ddraig spoke up. **[But that really was close! You three did a really good job taking down that succubus.]**

"Ah… come on! We didn't do anything much… My portrait didn't even hurt the succubus much," Motohama remarked humbly.

"At least you and that ridiculous picture landed a blow on her. I couldn't even touch her. Besides, it's Issei who took the succubus down and not us. Right, Issei?" Matsuda asked him.

"Well, once again I couldn't have done it without you," Issei told Matsuda and Motohama. "That includes our Heavenly Red Dragon Emperor, too."

 **[Oh, please… you flatter me…]** Ddraig replied, happy at being called by his title.

After dusting themselves off. They looked at the unconscious succubus.

"What should we do to her?" Motohama asked, glaring at her.

Issei pondered for a while until reaching decision.

"Leave her. There's nothing much she can do right now even if she were awake. Besides, I don't feel like killing anyone… even if I may have killed before…" Issei said seriously, as he remembered those dark days.

Matsuda and Motohama nodded. They respected Issei's decision. If Issei didn't want to kill the succubus, then neither would they – despite killing Sally and Nathalie.

They walked past her and decided to go through the door straight up ahead. They opened it and saw stairs, leading downstairs.

"There's a basement down here?" Issei groaned. Oh, great… more rooms to check.

"Are there lights at least?" Motohama hoped.

"Let's hope so…" Issei replied. Just like the ground floor, however, the lights didn't work.

They went downstairs groaning in exhaustion. They may have defeated the succubus, but if they don't find Yuusuke's body, then they would never be able to leave… whatever that means…

* * *

 _14_ _th_ _September, Friday, about 11:03 pm – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway on the ground floor_

The three of them walked through the cold and wet basement that felt like a tunnel of some kind, which made it all the more eerie for them. Almost like… something horrible could happen any second… Thankfully, Issei could use the Boosted Gear as a make-shift torchlight but that still didn't make things any more pleasant.

"Issei?" Motohama spoke up.

"Yeah, what's up?" Issei replied.

"Can you smell anything?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, just the smell of this stinking basement… ugh… No way, I'm ever going to find Yuusuke by smell…" Issei remarked.

"But why did Julie say to search him by smell?" Motohama asked again.

"Beats me. Maybe she meant the basement. After all, she did say 'Follow you smell' not ''Find Yuusuke's scent', right?" Issei queried.

"Good point…" Motohama answered.

A little distance onwards they could see ten doors through the light of the Boosted Gear. All the doors looked old, yet they all seemed to have locks. Motohama pulled out his key and got ready to try each of the doors out.

While Motohama went forward, Issei and Matsuda stood there just looking at the doors.

"So… this is it, huh?" Matsuda asked Issei, not moving his gaze.

"Yeah… I think so…" Issei responded. "The moment of truth…"

 **[Or we should have used the other door to the right]** Ddraig added, causing Issei and Matsuda to click their teeth in annoyance.

"Let's hope not," Issei said neutrally.

"Hey, Issei!" Motohama called out to Issei. "I need more light!"

"Sure thing," Issei answered, as the light of the Boosted Gear shone brighter, illuminating the room.

After that neither said a word. They just watched Motohama try out one door after the next door after the next door. Again, the key didn't fit any of the doors so far and none of them opened. While Motohama did his thing and Issei made sure that Motohama had enough light to work on, he remembered what the succubus had said to him before.

"Guys?" Issei said.

"Yeah?" "What is it?" **[Partner?]** all of them replied.

"Something… doesn't feel right," Issei said uneasily.

 **[How so, Partner?]** Ddraig wondered.

"It's about what the succubus said before… you know, about her plan coming to fruition or something like that…" Issei said, repeating what the succubus had said.

Matsuda narrowed his eyebrows in suspicion.

"What plan?" Matsuda asked.

"That was exactly my question. All she said however was that we would soon find out and then I knocked her out," Issei told Matsuda.

 **[Hmm… We would find out soon enough…? I have the sneaking suspicion that something bad is going to happen if we move on]** Ddraig speculated.

"Huh? What do you mean something bad is going to happen?" Motohama said after checking the seventh door to the left. He still had three more doors to go.

 **[I don't know… I mean… the succubus only said these things because it knew what we were up to, right?]** Ddraig asked the three of them.

All three of them nodded. After all, there was no way she wouldn't know what they were planning.

 **[So, here is my question: If she knew about our plans about finding Yuusuke's body and her plans would come true anyway, then… does that mean having us find Yuusuke was her plan all along?]** Ddraig asked them.

Everyone looked at Ddraig in shock. Motohama even halted his attempt to open the eighth door (though he still tried out long enough to know that the key didn't fit).

"Ddraig, are you sure?" Motohama asked horrified.

 **[I don't know… But logically it is a possibility…]** Ddraig said.

"But wait, then that means…" Issei began in shock.

"…that finding Yuusuke may be a trap!" Matsuda concluded.

At that they immediately changed their plans.

"Guys, we've got to get out of here or whatever the succubus may be planning might actually come true," Matsuda urged the others.

"Wait, we came so far. And now you're telling us to stop?" Motohama asked incredulously.

"Yeah, maybe we should have gotten out of here while we still could, instead of wasting our time here opening doors!" Issei exclaimed frustrated at their own stupidity.

 **[Partner, everyone!]** Ddraig called out, making everybody quiet. [I know you are all anxious, but even if that conclusion were true, there is one fact that you all seemed to have forgotten.]

"Well… What's that?" Issei wondered.

 **[Nathalie's last words]** Ddraig replied.

Matsuda looked at the Boosted Gear confused at first. However, then he remembered what Nathalie said.

 _Flashback_

 _You can't get out of this prison by breaking out like on the news or TV… You have to find the body of the prison guard Yuusuke, using the key Julie gave your friend… it's the only way…_

 _Flashback end_

"Oh, yes…" Matsuda said in realization. "…How could I forget…?"

 **[The only way out is to find Yuusuke's body]** Ddraig reminded everyone.

Motohama and Issei showed some hesitation.

"I dunno… I mean you still concluded it was a trap, right?" Issei said to Ddraig.

 **[No, I never said that. But even if it was, we don't have much of a choice, right?]** Ddraig reasoned.

"Well… I for one suggest we not continue and jus-" Motohama tried to suggest but was interrupted by Matsuda who snatched the key from his hand.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Matsuda exclaimed, as he went to the ninth door and tried unlocking it.

"Matsuda? What are you doing?" Motohama asked incredulously.

"Fulfilling Nathalie's last wishes! If she says it's the only way out, then I believe her!" Matsuda exclaimed, as he twisted the key left and right.

The key didn't work on that door either.

Before he could go to the last door.

"Are you crazy? Don't do this!" Motohama went over, dropped his portrait-weapon and tried to take the key back by force.

"Hey, let go!" Matsuda shouted, as he dropped his staff by accident and wrestled for the key with his friend.

"No, you let go!" Motohama shouted back, not giving up.

"I'm doing this for Nathalie!" Matsuda insisted.

"Yeah, but Nathalie may have been lying. She was working for succubus at some point, after all!" Motohama argued.

"You think your Julie was any different? Plus, Julie and Nathalie more or less agreed with each other on this," Matsuda hit back angrily.

"But finding Yuusuke will give the succubus the victory it wants!" Motohama insisted.

The two of them were starting to trade blows with each other, while Issei tried to separate them.

"Guys, stop fighting!" Issei told them, as he did his best to calm them down.

 **[Indeed! This is not the time to fight!]** Ddraig added, also trying to break up the fight.

The scuffle went on and would have continued on for the next few minutes if something didn't happen.

And something did happen!

"Huh?" Matsuda looked upward dumbfounded.

"What the…" Motohama exclaimed surprised also looking up.

"What's happening?" Issei wanted to know as he looked at the phenomenon above him.

 **[The key… it…]** Ddraig tried to form words but what happened was obvious to everyone.

The key that Matsuda and Motohama had been fighting over suddenly floated up in the air and glowed. It stood there dangling right above them. However, neither one of them moved, as they stood there dumbfounded.

"How… is the key…?" Issei tried to form words but couldn't from shock.

 **[I don't know… but it feels like this key is no ordinary key]** Ddraig answered.

Suddenly, the key floated towards the last door.

 **[To the door! Now!]** Ddraig ordered Issei, Matsuda and Motohama.

All three of them quickly followed the key, which by now had lowered itself to the height of the key-hole.

It slowly moved towards the key-hole and inserted itself in it.

The quartet watched as the key jerked and twisted the rusted lock, waiting in anticipation to see whether the lock would open.

Then… they heard it.

The door was unlocked.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama backed away, preparing themselves for whatever surprises might appear behind the door. Matsuda and Motohama readied their make-shift weapons that they quickly picked up.

The door slowly started to open on its own, creaking as it moved open.

This was it. The moment of truth.

Once the door was wide open, they didn't see anything at first but when Issei shone the light inside the room…

"Oh crap!"

"Damn!"

"Oh, my goodness!"

The three teenagers cried out in horror at what they saw.

What they saw inside…

… **were mangled dried-out bodies of various people that had been rotting there for who knows how long and one of them had a torn-off police uniform. The smell was overwhelming and there were bodies in the tens, fifties, hundreds! The horror was so overwhelming they couldn't stand it.**

"""AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"""

 **Their scream echoed out throughout the darkness of the facility. This was the secret? What was this? Why were there so many bodies? How did the succubus kill them? Were the wardens also among them? How were they supposed to get out? Why were the bodies looking at them? Corpses can't look, they are dead, so why does it look like they have eyes? BZZZZZT! What was that? What was that noise? Why is my writing in bold letters? Why am I gripped by an uncomfortable sensation? What is going on here? What is goi- SGFoYWhhaGEuLi4=**

 **Hey!**

 **RmluYWxseS4uLg==**

 **That again?**

 **Li4uSSd2ZSB3YWl0ZWQgYSBsb25nIHRpbWUgZm9yIHRoaXMu**

 **OK, whatever is doing this that's enough!**

 **SSBsb3N0IG15IGFybSBhbmQgdGhlIHVzZSBvZiBteSBsZWZ0IGxlZy4uLg==**

 **Hey, what are you doing? What's happening to my PC?**

 **Li4uYnV0IG5vdy4uLiBJJ3ZlIGdvdCB5b3UuLi4gSGlkZSBTaGlueWFtYS4uLg==**

 **Hey! Something's coming out of my PC?**

 **TXkgcGxhbiBhbGwgYWxvbmcgd2FzIHRvIHRhcmdldCB5b3Uh**

 **HEY! LET ME GO! GET YOUR HANDS OF ME!**

 **QW5kIG5vdy4uLiBZb3UncmUgbWluZSEgQW5kIHdpdGggaXQuLi4gTXkgcGxhbiBpcyBmaW5hbGx5IGNvbXBsZXRlIQ==**

 **HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!**

 **QUhBSEFIQUhBISBBSEFIQUhBSEFIQSE=**

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**


	16. Chapter 1 - A new beginning

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **[…]**

 **Hi, guys. It's me. Hide Shinyama.**

 **Sorry for the reeaaalllyyyyy long delay but life has been busy and my internet has been interrupted last weekend.**

 **And no, I do not have any problems with my computer. All of that is fine. I was just referring to those weird occurrences that have been happening while I was writing my story.**

 **Speaking of which. I have to state that none of the things you guys read in the last chapter happened whatsoever. I was not dragged into the PC by a mysterious hand and then gagged and tied up… but I digress. I'm fine, as you can see, alive and well.**

 **Anyway, about the story. I looked through the story and I thought that the story… could have been written better. So… I decided to start anew.**

 **Please forgive me for ending the story up till the last chapter so abruptly… I really feel like doing this…**

 **But anyway…Here is…**

Chapter 1 – A new beginning

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 7:29 am – Kuoh, Hyoudou residence, Issei's room_

"Onii-chan, wake up! Onii-chan, wake up! Onii-ch-" the alarm clock went, until a hand stopped it.

"Haah" a young man groaned in his bed. "I had the greatest dream about oppai and it all went up in smoke…"

His name is Issei Hyoudou, a freshman in high school aged 15. A not so bad looking brunette who could be quite the looker… if he weren't so perverted… Issei Hyoudou is not someone you would call restrained… In fact, he loves porn… lots of porn... especially when it comes to breasts! He and his friends Matsuda and Motohama like to peek on girls while they are dressing. Of course, they would never get away with it, since the middle school kendo club (their most frequent victims of their harassment) would always beat them up with their kendo sticks.

But that wouldn't stop his perversion, oh no. He only got more determined to achieve his goal of becoming a harem king. Something he had always wished since elementary school.

And that was why he was having this dream about oppai, only for him to once again return back to reality. And that was why he was having this dream about oppai, only for him to once again return back to reality. After getting dressed for school, he went downstairs where his mum and dad were.

"Good morning, Issei" said his mum.

"Morning mum, morning dad" Issei replied.

"Good morning to you, son. Did you sleep well?" his father asked.

"Yeah, I did. I actually did have quite the dream…" Issei said with a goofy grin.

"Ufufufu…" Issei's mother giggled. "It's about girls again, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it is" Issei's father replied with a smile. "Issei, is probably dreaming about having a harem or something.

"Mum! Dad! Stop it you're embarrassing me!" Issei said flustered.

"But it's true, isn't it?" asked his mum.

"Well… yeah! I mean, who would not want a harem? So don't make fun of it!"

"We're not making fun of it," his dad said. "We just like how ambitious you get because of it".

"Yes, we do…" Issei's mum said. "Yes, we do… But anyway" she said switching the subject "your father and I got us tickets for the next showing of Parsifal. Isn't it great? And it starts at 5 pm today!"

Issei sighed. His parents loved opera and listened to Librettos of all kind, while singing to it. Unfortunately, Issei got annoyed of hearing it, so he would go to his room and listen to music in his room on his headphones – or go to one of his friends' house to watch porn. Thus, he had no intention of sitting through hours of opera howling. So he decided to make up an excuse.

"Umm, sorry, but I was planning on going-"

"Issei!" his mum interrupts. "We bought tickets for all of us and they weren't cheap! Wouldn't it be a waste, if you didn't go?

"Yeah, but…" Issei tried to explain. "I hate opera. It's so long a-and to be honest I get bored with it real fast."

"Well, then you've got to get used to it," his dad replied firmly. "Family time like this is precious and your mother and I want to make the most of it - together." Issei sighed, but his father puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Son, you know your mum and I are busy with work… and I know you don't like opera, but it's just that the opportunity for it is something that doesn't come by very often."

"I don't know, dad…" Issei responded.

"Look, whatever you've got planned can wait some other time," Issei's dad said. "Besides, maybe we can do something you would like the next time."

"Yeah…" Issei said, before looking at the time. The clock said 7:35 am. He still had plenty of time, yet he did not want to argue with them much longer.

"I've got to go," Issei said, as his parents waved their son goodbye.

"Don't forget! Opera at five! Come home after school so we can go immediately!" Issei's mum says.

"OK!" Issei shouts before putting on his shoes, taking his school bag and walking out.

"Bye, son!" his dad calls out before the door slams shut.

"Sigh, if only he someone could show him the beauty of opera…" Issei's dad said sadly.

"Oh, don't worry" his wife said happily. "At least he's got a girlfriend. She might prove him wrong. I'm sure of it. But now…" she looked at him with a wide grin.

"Oh, yes…" he looked at her grinning ear to ear and together they started singing the final line of Wagner's Parsifal: "Höchsten heil'ges Wunder…"

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 7:39 am – Kuoh, on the way to school_

"Stupid opera, so annoying…" Issei murmured while hurrying to school. While Issei certainly loved his parents, he could not help but feel annoyed at his parents' insistence that that he go to the opera with them. Sure, they wanted him to spend more time with them, but he could not help the feeling of being embarrassed of his doting parents. Besides, he really wanted to see the next Hentai Moon episodes with his friends (yes that is a thing though not in canon universe).

Issei decided to put those thoughts aside for now, when he saw a girl running towards him waving her arm in the air and calling his name.

"Ise!" the girl called out to Issei using his nickname that only one person in the world would use.

Issei just smiled, as he waved back. The girl ran towards him and jumped on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Issei caught her and hugged her back.

"Ohayou, Sally! Cheerful as ever, eh?" Issei said happily.

Sally giggled in response.

"Hai! After all, how else should I be reacting when I see my boyfriend? Ehehehe…" Sally giggled, before getting off him.

Now, Sally was a girl with sky-blue eyes, coral pink hair, cut short and slightly curled at the ends, with a red bow on the left side of her head. Currently, she was wearing the Kuoh school uniform for girls. It consisted of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt with vertical linings, a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, and a magenta skirt with white accents. But most importantly of all, the school uniform looked alluring on her.

Issei still had to get used to seeing the love of his life with the Kuoh Academy uniform on. Noticing this, Sally gave a humored smile.

"Teehee… like what you see?" Sally teased.

"Uhh… yeah… Your school uniform looks great as always," Issei complemented her.

"Yeah, except everyone at school wears this, teehee…" Sally giggled.

"Yeah, but it fits no one better than my sweet Sally, ehehe…" Issei giggled too.

"Yeah, but some of the girls there have bigger boobs than little old me…" Sally responded with mock-sadness.

Issei grinned, as an idea came to his mind. He took the initiative and put his palms of his hands on Sally's oppai.

"KYAH! What are you doing?" Sally yelped in surprise. Issei grinned deviously.

"What I'm doing? Just pressing your oppai so that it can grow bigger of course…" Issei smirked. Sally smirked back in response, as she intentionally pushed her chest right into Issei's palms. She moaned at the feeling of being groped, while Issei was starting to pant with arousal at the feeling of Sally's middle-sized oppai being pressed against his hands. The two of them wanted to make out right where they stood, but then they heard noise coming from some bushes near them.

Turning their faces towards the bushes, the two of them heard a lot of unusual rustling coming from there and… some moaning as well.

Out of curiosity, Sally and Issei interrupted what they were doing and went quietly towards the bushes. And that's when they saw it.

Sally and Issei saw both Nathalie and Matsuda, their best friends respectively lying on top of each other and kissing passionately. Matsuda had his hand under Nathalie's skirt right now – which Nathalie seemed to enjoy. They both were so deep into their lovemaking that they didn't notice Sally and Issei approach until Issei cleared his throat.

Seeing that they were discovered Matsuda and Nathalie yelped and backed off but calmed down when they realized that the persons in question were none other than Sally and Issei.

"Yeesh!" Matsuda complained. "You were interrupting our quality make-out session!"

"Y-yeah!" Nathalie added, as she adjusted her disheveled Kuoh Academy uniform. "What do you think you were doing? For a second there, we thought you were some random passerby."

Issei and Sally chuckled embarrassed.

"Sorry, you guys…" Issei said sheepishly.

"…Yeah, sorry about that…" Sally apologized as well.

Nathalie and Matsuda muttered in complaint, as they got up. A little while later they were on their way to Kuoh Academy. As the four of them crossed the road, Sally spoke up.

"Did you hear that Julie got together with Motohama?" Sally asked the others, who widened their eyes in surprise.

"Really? Those two are together now?" Nathalie replied astonished to which Sally nodded her head eagerly.

"How did this happen?" Matsuda queried.

"Oh, you won't believe it. They went on a date yesterday to the park, you know… just to chill out there," everyone else nodded as they listened eagerly to Sally's narration.

"Anyway, they were sitting awkwardly next to each other on the bench and… here goes… they said nothing – for five minutes – until they started to confess to each other out of the blue, like this: 'Hey, uh… I like you! Please be my boyfriend!'… or girlfriend in Matsuda's case!" Sally said, mimicking the way the two of them allegedly spoke in a shy and awkward manner at first, but then in a forced flushed way at the end. The other three snickered at Sally's impression of them.

"Really?" Issei asked quizzically, still grinning.

"Uhuh…" Sally nodded with a smile again. "Julie told me on the phone. She sounded so happy, like she was in heaven. If I remember correctly, Julie was calling from some place with a lot of people. I think she and Motohama went to some place special."

"And where did they go?" Matsuda asked.

"I think they went out for dinner. She didn't quite tell me and to be honest I didn't want to take too much of her time, so I thought maybe I would ask her tomorrow."

"Whoa… but that means…" Issei looked at Matsuda.

"Yeah, you know what that means…" Matsuda looked back at Issei.

""ALL THREE OF US WILL GRADUATE FROM OUR VIRGINITY TOGETHER!"" Issei and Matsuda shouted with joy.

"Teehee… eager to have sex, eh?" Sally commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Speaking of which, we would have lost our virginity earlier if you and Issei hadn't interrupted," Nathalie reminded Sally with a slight hint of annoyance. Sally and Issei just sweat a drop.

""Sorry…"" Sally and Issei replied.

"Speaking of those two, where are they?" Issei wondered.

Everyone just shrugged their shoulders.

"I'm not sure," Sally answered. "Maybe they are already at the academy… I don't know…"

"Ok…" Matsuda said. "…I guess we'll see them there, hopefully."

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 7:52 am – in front of Kuoh Academy_

The four of them walked on until they reached Kuoh Academy. Kuoh Academy was a huge building that had a lot of students ranging from elementary school students, middle school students and high school students. It used to be an all-girls academy until it was turned into a co-ed school not too long ago. Right now, the school was bustling with students wearing the same school uniform that they had on. Everyone was either hanging out with friends, talking or going inside for classes – just like Sally, Nathalie, Matsuda and Issei were.

Nonetheless, despite the many students, the four of them had yet to discover Motohama and Julie. Where were they…?

While they were looking, Issei saw a group of students (mostly girls) gathered around for something. After Issei signaled the others to follow him, they went towards the crowd and found out the reason for the gathering.

"No way! You went on a date!?" they heard a girl exclaimed in surprise.

"How was it? Was it good?" they heard another girl speak.

"Damn you, Motohama! How come a pervert like you gets to lose his virginity before me!?" a boy shouted in frustration.

Issei, Matsuda, Sally and Nathalie managed to peer through all these people and were able to see Motohama and Julie, who were holding hands together with reddened cheeks and blushing smiles. One had to admit, the two of them looked rather cute together.

"Hey, guys!" Issei called out with a grin. Motohama looked at his friend and waved his hand in response.

"Issei, my man! What's up?" Motohama replied with a content smile. The crowd parted somewhat to make way for Issei and his friends.

"I heard you and Julie got together," Issei said, as he turned his face towards Julie. "Isn't that right?"

Julie nodded humbly, her face still blushing from shyness.

"Yes… we did…" Julie replied softly.

Sally went up to Julie and hugged her happily, causing Julie to yelp in surprise.

"Congratulations, Julie. You can't believe how happy we are. Teehee…" Sally giggled.

"Congratulations from me, too…" Nathalie added, as she fiddled her thumbs. She really did not want to put her friend on the spotlight like this, knowing how shy she is. Nevertheless, she was happy for her friend and it would be rude not to congratulate her.

"Thanks, girls…" Julie answered with a smile, as she returned Sally's hug.

In the meantime, the boys were giving high fives to each other.

"Dude," Matsuda said in excitement. "With you having a girlfriend that means…"

"The perverted trio are no longer single!" Issei exclaimed with a raised fist.

"And we're all going to graduate from our virginity!" Motohama added with a grin.

"""OUR DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE!""" all three of them exclaimed in uttermost joy.

In contrast, some of the boys in the crowd began to slump to the ground in defeat (probably because they neither had girlfriends, let alone lost their virginity).

"Why… O Lord Most High…" sighed one desperate male student in a rather solemn fashion.

"Oh, thou who sits on the throne of Heaven… Why hast thou forsaken us?" another one prayed on his knees, looking towards heaven.

"It can't be… it can't be… in a world like this… God can't possibly exist," another student muttered darkly to himself, only to stand up in a dramatic fashion and shout to the heavens: "I defy you! Do you hear me? I DEFY YOU!"

Some of the other students (including the perverted trio and their girlfriends) to drop a sweat at what the pathetic looking students were doing.

"Are they all right?" one girl asked a bit unsettled.

"For some reason I don't think so," her friend next to her replied.

"What's wrong with those guys?" a female middle school student among the high school students wondered.

"Yeah, who uses 'thou' these days?" a male student remarked (he probably had a girlfriend but that is my guess).

Then the bell rang and everyone departed to his or her classrooms (except the three desperate students on the ground).

The perverted trio and their girlfriends also departed to their classes, each of them holding their respective girlfriends by the hand.

Unlike those losers, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were actually lucky. They had girlfriends – and they were just first-year students, too! Not many can boast about having girlfriends at that age. In fact, many people would remain virgins or forever alone until their thirties if they were lucky (though that defies the definition of forever).

However, as the perverted trio glanced back at the three loners, they could not shake the feeling… that they would have been in that situation… if not for certain circumstances…

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 8:03 am – Kuoh Academy, in class_

Everyone had just taken his or her seats in the classroom. Their first lesson today was in biology and everyone had already packed out their things on the table. The teacher had not arrived yet and so all the students were still talking together – including our six lovebirds.

Yes, indeed. Issei and Sally, Matsuda and Nathalie, Motohama and Julie were all in the same class together, which they thought was a good thing because they could now be together inside and out of classes.

Unfortunately, they did not sit together. The three girls were sitting at the back while the perverted trio sat further up front. Nonetheless, it didn't really matter to them anyway for the six of them were together at least. Speaking of their relationships, while Sally, Nathalie and some of the other girls were talking to Julie about her date with Motohama, the perverted trio were discussing on how to lose their virginity to their girlfriends.

"So, how do we get them in bed with us?" Issei asked.

"I'd say we'll just ask them. I mean… they would want that too, right?" Motohama suggested, to which Issei and Matsuda immediately shook their heads.

"No way! That's way too cheap. Besides, there are better ways to do it," Matsuda said.

"Like… how?" Motohama wondered.

"Like… Enjoying a candlelight dinner… no scratch that! Here is my advice: Watch a romantic movie together and get them in the mood. Then… go for the kill! Sounds like a better idea, right?" Matsuda looked at his friends, hoping to get a positive answer. Issei and Motohama just mulled about it, trying to evaluate Matsuda's advice.

"It sounds good… admittedly… But I've got a slight improvement to it…" Issei answered.

"And what's that?" Matsuda asked curiously to which Issei tried to hold in a chuckle.

"…Watching a porn movie… pff…" Issei replied, trying to hold in a laughter.

The other two were dumbfounded.

"Seriously?" Motohama replied astounded.

"But… Don't girls hate porn?" Matsuda questioned.

After Issei calmed down from his laughing fit, he started to explain.

"You would be surprised what statistics say about girls watching porn in secret. And you know why they do? Because they also hope to have sex in the sexiest ways possible, hoping to be dominated by a manly man for example," Issei explained. Matsuda and Motohama nodded as they listened, being completely absorbed into what Issei had to say.

"However, sometimes girls need to be reminded of their horny passions or actually need to be introduced to them. What better way to do so than to watch sexy movies together," Issei reasoned. Motohama and Matsuda were still not comfortable with Issei's advice.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with this…" Motohama voiced concerned, fidgeting in his seat.

Issei put his hand on Motohama in comfort, as a good friend would.

"Come on, Motohama. It's worth a try. Besides, Julie knows about your fetishes just as Sally knows about my fetishes and Nathalie knows about Matsuda's. Heck, we're known as the perverted trio, for goodness sake! We're not called that for nothing! So, if they ended up with us and love us for who we are, then… why would it unthinkable for them to watch a porno together," Issei reasoned.

That explanation was, not completely, but truly clearing away their doubts. If they thought about it, they reasoned, it made perfect sense. All three of them flaunted their perverseness in public and everybody hated them for it. Yet, here were Sally, Nathalie and Julie who one by one fell in love with each of them and ended up being together with them. It was still hard to believe and yet that was reality.

All three of them had girlfriends now.

And they did so, despite their perverted behavior. Who knows? Maybe even because of their perverted behavior!

So, it was settled.

The perverted trio would watch porn together with their girlfriends – or at least introduce them to it – get them into the mood and then lose their V-card.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other's eyes, neither of them saying a word. They did not even need to do so. Why? For they saw the confidence and appreciation beaming from their faces. All three of them could see that they all wanted the same thing and that they wanted to use Issei's suggestion.

Truly, their friendship was beautiful… the most beautiful thing in the world…

 _ **[You touch my tralala… My Ding-Ding-Dong…] a draconic voice sounded.**_

"""?"""

The perverted trio looked around them in confusion and slight irritation. For some reason, someone had just interrupted the perverted trio's beautiful moment of friendship.

"What the f*** was that?" Matsuda asked, as he looked around to find the source.

"I don't know…" Motohama replied equally confused.

"For some weird reason, I feel like… this has happened before… like something is missing… somehow…" Issei said, as he looked at his left arm. He had the strange feeling that whatever was missing it had something to do with his left arm.

Sally noticed how the three of them were looking around weirdly and was about to ask them what the matter was. However, just when she was about to do so, the teacher came in through the door, putting down her stuff at her desk. It would be considered a normal class session with a normal routine for the first-year class except… the teacher was someone who they had never seen before.

Some of the students had stopped talking to each other the moment they saw the teacher. For not only was the teacher someone they did not expect to see but the teacher… was a drop-dead gorgeous young woman, wearing a gray suit, skirt, leggings and high heels. Moreover, her red-brown hair was tied to a pony-tail and was held together by a ribbon – something they have never seen a teacher wear before. In addition to that, her green, emerald eyes were dazzling, shining with sincere happiness of being in this class, yet still reflecting maturity and responsibility.

Overall, she was smoking hot…

Some of the guys were so stunned, they started to drip saliva out of lust – especially the three boys who had made a scene outside earlier this morning (yes, they were in the same class). Even some of the girls couldn't help but feel slack-jawed at the young woman before them. She seemed… perfect… with looks rivaling that of the two hottest second-year students Akeno Himejima and Rias Gremory.

The perverted trio likewise couldn't help but feel surprised at her appearance. This woman… who was she? For some reason, in addition to being fascinated by her beauty, (they tried their best to shake it off for the sake of their girlfriends) they couldn't help but feel… that they've met her somewhere before.

As the young teacher had taken out her things and gone to the blackboard, everyone waited expectantly for her to say something.

"Good morning, class. Today we will continue Mr. Horikawa has left off on the subject of natural selection and speciation. Unfortunately, Mr. Horikawa can't do so himself because he is in the hospital right now and won't be able to return for the rest of the year," the young teacher said with a lovely but professionally sounding voice. What she said caused everyone to gasp from shock.

"Umm… sensei? Why is Horikawa-sensei in the hospital?" a student asked, raising her hand. At that, the teacher became a bit somber.

"That's because he was ambushed by a robber last night. The robber… beat him up rather severely… leaving him with a lot of fractures and broken bones… that's why," the attractive new teacher responded with some seriousness.

Everyone murmured upon hearing that. They may not have liked Mr. Horikawa that much – he had reprimanded even the perverted trio quite a lot for stashing porn in their desks. But even the strict mustache-sporting teacher did not deserve this. For the first time in their lives, they actually felt sorry for him.

"Sensei," another student spoke up. "What about the robber?" he asked.

"I heard the police caught him in the act," the teacher replied. "We should be grateful for that."

"Sensei, are you going to be our replacement for the rest of the year?" Nathalie asked this time.

"That's right," the teacher said with a smile. "Until Mr. Horikawa recovers that is."

Everyone was whispering excitedly at that.

"Did you hear that?" one student whispered. "We're going to have her till the rest of the year!"

"This is the best day of my life! This woman is going to rock our worlds, if you know what I mean…" another student said suggestively.

"You're a pervert, you know? Ogling at the new teacher like that," Nathalie snapped at the previous student.

"Speaking of which, what's her name?" Julie wondered.

This caused everyone to ask themselves the question as well. Who was she?

The one to ask that would be none other than Issei Hyoudou, who managed to raise his hand first.

"Excuse me, sensei?" Issei spoke up.

"Yes, what is it, Issei?" the teacher responded.

Issei was taken aback at being called by his first name by this new teacher – and so were the others.

Fighting his flustered state, Issei asked "H-how did you know my name?"

She looked at him a giggle. "Teehee. I'm your biology teacher after all. I know everyone's names in this class. Now, what were you going to ask?"

Overcoming his surprise, Issei asked away. "Sensei, we haven't gotten your name yet. So…"

The teacher gasped in mock surprise before giggling again.

"Oh, how silly of me. Teehee. I forgot to introduce myself," the attractive biology teacher said, before turning around and picking up a piece of chalk to write her name on the blackboard.

After finishing, she turned around and properly introduced herself.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Monique," the teacher now known as Monique said. Some of the students raised their eyebrows out of confusion. Did she not have a last name?

"Umm… That's it?" Issei asked, getting Monique's attention once again. "Monique…"

"Just Monique. Teehee," she replied, before turning her attention to the rest of the class.

"I hope we get along just fine," Monique replied with the brightest smile, causing every male student to fall down headfirst unto the table and drift into dreamland with a happy grin – including Matsuda and Motohama who were trying so hard to maintain their links towards their girlfriends. This did not go unnoticed by Julie and Nathalie who were now frowning at their boyfriends for being borderline unfaithful towards them. They decided that after class, they needed to have some words with them. That is doubly true after they overheard what their boyfriends were saying.

"More porno material… ehehehe…" Matsuda smiled with a perverted grin.

"Fap… I need to go to the bathroom and fap…" Motohama grinned happily as well.

Only Issei, seemed to not to be affected by it. He just sat there, looking at Monique with a different kind of interest.

'Something… seems familiar about her… but what?' Issei thought.

After introducing herself the class session started and everyone were back to learning mode… or as good as they could be.

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 9:33 am – Kuoh Academy, after biology class_

The bell had just rung and everyone was just leaving the class, including the perverted trio and their girlfriends. A little while ago, Nathalie and Julie asked Sally and Issei for some time alone with their boyfriends. It was clear from the slight glares on their faces – and the slightly intimidated look on Matsuda's and Motohama's faces – that they were going to have a little talking to for ogling the new teacher.

Sally had to giggle at that. At least her boyfriend didn't lust after her like all the other horny guys in class. Issei, on the other hand, wiped the sweat of nervousness of his face. If Nathalie and even the shy and timid Julie could be so intimidating when angry… he just did not want to know what Sally would have been capable of.

Anyway, the two of them were walking through the halls and were talking about what they were going to do this evening. Issei was about to suggest watching a porno movie together (so that they could get in the mood to have sex later). However, two things stood in his way – one of which was, of course, Issei's nervousness in asking this proposal, despite his confidence in his plan earlier.

The other reason was something Issei almost forgot until it suddenly hit him just when he was thinking about how to spend the evening together. This caused Issei to hesitate, something Sally noticed.

"Ise? What were you going to suggest?" Sally asked.

"Well, I was going to suggest that… uhhh… never mind… until I just remembered that my mom and dad wanted us to go watch an opera this evening…" Issei groaned. He definitely was going to be bored to death. "I was hoping that we do something together this evening and not something like this…"

Sally had an uncertain expression on her face but, nevertheless, tried to cheer Issei up.

"Ise… I understand how you feel… but to be honest I wouldn't pass up a chance like this if I were you. I mean, operas are quite nice to watch," Sally responded. This caused Issei to grumble more.

"Yeah, but…" Issei protested. "… Operas… are not my thing." He then listed up his reasons for his dislike for operas.

"One: They're in a foreign language – in this case it would be in German which I don't understand. Two: They're too long. They're boring. Which is why, three: I fall asleep and so waste everyone's time and money. Trust me. Those tickets were not exactly cheap," Issei explained using his fingers to number his arguments.

Sally nodded, though on the inside she still seemed to disagree with her boyfriend. On the one hand she understood that sitting through something one personally didn't like wasn't a nice thing. But what could she do to…? And then Sally had an idea.

"Ise. I think I've got the solution," Sally spoke up with a cheerful smile.

Issei raised his eyebrows with interest. "Oh? What have you got?" he asked.

"How about we go together with your parents?" Sally suggested.

Issei was perplexed at her suggestion – and a bit happy at the same time. He was perplexed because he wondered what Sally was thinking and happy because he could still spend time with the girl he loved (even if he was going to spend time with her in a less than ideal way). Nonetheless, Issei did have some questions.

"Uh, just to be curious… Do you happen to love opera?" Issei asked innocuously to which Sally nodded affirmatively.

"To be honest. I do. Sure, I may not understand everything in it, but the original stories from which the operas are derived from, the rich symbolisms and musical motives like the themes of the various characters… they enrich the opera so much… that it's… well… overwhelming…" Sally explained with glowing fascination. Issei just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well… that's good for you… I guess… But… I still don't know if I'll be bored out of my skull there or not…" Issei said.

"Well… maybe you have to look at it this way: Don't try to see it as a chore… but rather as a way to put yourself at edge above your classmates," Sally reasoned. Issei looked at her confused. What was she talking about?

"I see you don't quite understand me. All right. I'll explain," Sally started as she leaned with her back against the wall. "For example, Wagner and his musical works are quite well known throughout the world, so much that they influence everything we know and do about music today – like movies for example."

Issei nodded. Ok, but does this have to do with anything? Sally continued her explanation further.

"Therefore, when we are studying literature, music or even history you might get a huge advantage when you learn about Wagner's works in detail, like what I mentioned earlier: Themes, symbolisms, musical motifs… but other aspects like the history of Wagner and the times he lived in or… even about the myths and legends that Wagner put into his works, like the Arthurian legends for example."

Issei nodded some more. He still had some objections, but slowly but surely his objections were being chipped away. Even though he still dreaded to go to the opera this evening, Sally made everything… sound so interesting. He didn't know why but Sally always had this intellect, this knowledge and ability to teach and persuade people… almost like a teacher…

Suddenly while Issei thought this his head started hurting. He clutched a hand to his head. What was that? Why did Sally and the word teacher… sound so fitting?

"Ise? Ise? Are you ok?" Sally asked in a panic. Some of the other students in the hall also had their faces turned towards Issei out of curiosity and interest. Issei's pain subsided not long thereafter and seeing how he was getting their attention, he sought to allay their concerns.

"I'm fine… I'm fine… no need to worry about me…" Issei told them and so the previously concerned students went on with business as usual. Only Sally still had a worried look on her face.

"Ise… are you sure? We can go to the nurse's office if you're not feeling well…" Sally said.

"No, really. I'm fine. I… don't know what came over me… but whatever it was, I'm fine now. Anyway, where were we?" Issei said, trying to get back to the original issue.

Sally tried to remember what she was going to say… if she was going to say something, but then Issei just remembered.

"Oh, yeah!" Issei exclaimed. "Now I know! Now I know… if we do happen to decide how we are going. How are we going to figure out what the singers are saying? I mean, they're going to sing in German and my German isn't so good."

Sally giggled as she pulled out her smart phone. "With this. We can upload the whole transcript of the opera with translations. We live in the 21st century after all. Teehee…"

Issei hit his head with the palm of his hand. Of course! Why didn't he think of that…?

"And besides," Sally continued with a smile. "In case you do have questions about the various aspects of the opera we're going to watch, I can always help to explain these to you. My explanations might not be perfect, but I think they will be useful."

Issei smiled back. This day… might not be so bad after all… with Sally at his side he might…

But then Issei realized he forgot about something. Something very important.

"Uh… Sally…?" Issei started.

Sally tilted her head at Issei's sudden change of demeanor. "Yes, Ise?"

"To get into the theater you must have a ticket… How are you going to get in?" Issei asked, leading Sally to gasp. He knew it… he just knew this was all too good to be true.

Sally looked down at her feet, being flustered at forgetting about the entry costs. She looked up towards Issei meekly with embarrassment.

"Well… How much does a ticket cost?" Sally asked.

Issei sighed in exasperation. "It isn't so much about the cost… It's more about the reservation of the seats – and they're booked!" At that, Sally slumped defeated on her knees.

"Uhh… No opera for me…" Sally murmured in depression. Some of the students passing by looked at her with worry, though unlike with Issei they did not linger on and just minded their own business. Nevertheless, Issei still tried to cheer her up from her depression before too much attention came upon them.

"Umm… Don't worry… Umm…" Issei stuttered, as he did his best in cheering Sally up. "The next time my parents want to bring me to an opera I'll just convince them bring you along with me…"

Before he could do more, his phone rang. Issei cursed, as he pulled it from his pocket.

'Out of all times now… Who on earth could it…' Issei thought, before he saw who was trying to call him on his phone screen. It was his father.

'Dad? That's strange… Why would he call now?' Issei wondered before accepting the call.

"Hey, dad," Issei greeted.

"Hello, son. Did I call you at an inconvenient time?" Issei's father asked.

"In a way…" Issei said, as he looked at Sally with worry, who was still on the floor. "…But it doesn't really matter. What gives?"

"Well… listen… I know you may not like opera, but…" Issei's father spoke hesitatingly, something that caught Issei's attention.

"What? What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"Well… here's the thing: While we said that we wanted to go as a family… We originally had a friend who was also planning to go with us…" Issei's father explained.

Issei raised his eyebrow at that. "Really? Who?"

"Yatogami-san, my colleague from work. However, he has been ill for quite a few days now. And so… I was wondering – and I'll admit it is a silly question asking you – but do you have someone that you know who might be interested in coming?" Issei's dad asked. However, Issei froze upon hearing his request. Did he just…?

"Issei? Son? Are you still there?" Issei's father asked, getting Issei's attention back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah… I am…" Issei answered quickly.

"Oh good… I thought the line went dead. Anyway, I… probably asking you wasn't the wisest decision. Your mother insisted that I do so… but knowing you I know you wo-"

But then Issei interrupted his father with a voice tinged in excitement.

"Are you kidding? This is great!" Issei exclaimed with an odd sense of happiness.

"Uhh… What? Really? I thought…" his father tried to say but Issei cut him off again.

"Well… it's not about me, really. It's more about Sally, you know… my girlfriend…" Issei hinted, which his father quickly understood.

"Ohh… I get it… You want to go on a date with her **while** we are doing things together as a family… I see…" Issei's father said with a smile on the other line.

"Yeah, and not only that. She loves opera. And she said she would help me… make the opera feel less boring… so to speak…" Issei explained.

"Wait. You're not planning to do anything… pervy there, are you?" Issei's dad asked with some suspicion.

"No!" Issei denied emphatically. "I mean she will help me with understand the libretto better, like explaining the motifs… and so…" Issei clarified to which Issei's father chuckled, much to his relief.

"Oh, I see… That's good to hear…" Issei's father responded. "Well, tell her she's welcome to come. We'll meet at home at five o'clock, so I hope you two will be there, ok?"

"Yup," Issei responded.

"Well. See you soon. Bye!" Issei's father said.

"Bye!" Issei responded before ending the call. Issei turned to Sally, who was still catatonic and on her knees. He snapped his fingers to get her attention.

"Sally?" Issei called out to get her attention, which didn't work.

"Sally!" he called again, which succeeded in getting Sally to raise her head. "I've got some good news!" Issei told his girlfriend excited.

Sally was still feeling down, but her eyes showed at least some interest.

"Oh? How so?" Sally asked.

"My dad just called. He said he had another ticket from a sick co-worker who couldn't come. He asked whether I knew someone who would want to come. I mentioned you and that means we can go to the opera together!" Issei told Sally the good news. Upon hearing it, Sally immediately jumped on Issei and hugged him with joy.

"Oh, really! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you…" Sally said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. This caused some students walking by to stop and look.

"Kyaa! Sally-san looks so cute when she is so happy!" a girl squealed.

"Yeah, but why did she have to be with Issei Hyoudou out of all people?" her friend next to her wondered.

"Damn thee, Hyoudou! Why dost thou get a girl, while we remain alone? How long, Oh LORD? How long? Until Thou takest vengeance on perverted losers like Issei Hyoudou here!" one of the three lonely losers from before cried out and cursed Issei in despair.

"Oh, why God? Are Thy mercies not new every morning? How could Thou do this to us?" one of the other losers wailed and prayed desperately.

"Brothers, let us forsake this cruel being that looks upon the sons of men and delights in their misery! Let us do from now on as we please!" the third member of the lonely loser trio (whom we are going to name so from now on) said to his comrades. "If we cannot get women, then we shall at least get a whiff of them."

Then he pulls out a number of panties from out of nowhere.

"Here, brothers! Sniff and eat, for this is the next best thing we shall acquire!" he told his two buddies, earning frowns and whispers from some of the bystanders and horrified looks from his two comrades. Sally and Issei on the other hand just looked on stunned, while still in a hugging position, unsure on what to do.

"Dear brother," the first member of the apparently perverted lonely loser trio whispered in a panic. "I don't think showing off those panties in public is a good idea!"

"Indeed!" the other one whispered in a panic as well. "Thou out of all people shouldst know that if anyone shouldst know about it, then we ar-"

"HEY! THOSE ARE OUR PANTIES, YOU THIEVES!" a cry came from the other end of the hallway. Everyone turned to the source of the voice and saw some angry kendo club members with some shinais, shouting all kinds of aggressive threats against the three losers.

"GET THEM!"

"KILL THEM!"

"HOIST THEM UP AND SHOVE SOME SHINAIS UP THEIR BUTTS!"

The three of their faces whitened out of fear.

"Brothers! Let's hasten from here!" the first one shouted, moving his legs first.

"Let us fly, you fool!" the second one told the third one with an angry glare.

The third one, seemed torn in his decision on what to do next, before letting his instincts take him over.

"Good idea! Damn thee, Hyoudou!" the third one cursed, as he ran with the kendo club hot on their heels.

After the kendo club rushed past the bystanders and around the corner to get the three perverted lonely loser trio (an even longer name, but more accurate if you ask me), the remaining people just looked in bewilderment.

"What was that?" asked one girl.

"Did I just end up in a drama or something?" a boy asked next.

"Why on earth would anyone use 'thee' and 'thou'? Where do they think they are? In the Middle Ages?" another girl asked.

"Are they Christians? Because I'm pretty sure they were praying to the Christian God, right?" a third-year student asked her friend.

"I don't know. But I heard they were doing it this morning and judging by the way they were doing it, I guess they are," her friend answered.

"No way," another girl shook her head. "The guy with the panties seemed to be an atheist or something because he was not praying at all."

"To be honest, I don't think anyone of them is a Christian if they go around stealing panties from the kendo club like that," another boy remarked to his blonde-haired friend.

"You know what? Let's forget this never happened. It's crazy enough as it is," the blonde-haired boy remarked.

"Good idea, Saji," he replied. Saji nodded and together with the other students went on with their business as usual.

When everyone had gone, only Issei and Sally were left still hugging each other. They slowly let go of each other and decided to forget the nonsensical scene that happened before them just a few moments ago.

"So… Ise…" Sally spoke up, thus breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah?" Issei replied.

"Where do we meet and when do we go?" Sally asked.

"The opera starts at 5 o'clock. We'll meet at my house right after school. We'll go together," Issei answered.

Sally giggled and gave him another peck on the cheek.

"I'm going to the bathroom. See you then. Teehee…" Sally said before departing with a giggle.

"Yeah. See you," Issei answered with a gentle smile. He may not lose his virginity tonight but at least… he could endure through a boring opera night with the girl of his dreams…

As he looked at the watch, he saw that break time was over in two minutes. He headed towards his class and was interrupted by the sound of pained cries of male students being beaten by shinais. Issei looked back and reminisced at how he, Matsuda and Motohama had also been like that not too long ago until they had met their respective girlfriends, peeping on the kendo club as they undressed themselves, checking out their underwear and their three sizes. Some very amusing times, except for the fact that the kendo club would beat the crap out of them later just like the perverted lonely loser trio right now.

All of that… that was who he was until he met Sally.

He still remembered the day they first met. It was…

Huh?

'That's strange,' Issei thought, scratching his head while doing so. 'How…'

Suddenly the bell rang, waking him out of his thoughts. He looked up the staircase and went up to his classroom before everyone else. Yet… one thought remained while he was on his way there.

'How did I meet her… again?'

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 4:23 pm – Kuoh, Hyoudou residence, Issei's room_

School had ended about an hour ago and Issei was now lying in bed just waiting for Sally to come by. During the second break they agreed to meet at about 4:30 pm at his house so that they could go together with his parents. Issei had to admit that going out with his girlfriend along with his parents was not exactly what he had wished for, but it was better than doing so without Sally. He also managed to tell Matsuda and Motohama that he couldn't do anything with them together because of his plans for this evening. Matsuda and Motohama shrugged for it turns out they had to other plans for this evening – namely to invite their respective girlfriends to their homes and get them to watch porn with them, excited at the prospect of losing their virginity. Issei had to chuckle at their plans for tonight. After all, it was his idea. Granted, it wasn't foolproof but at least it was worth a shot.

Issei sighed. It was just too bad he couldn't try it out tonight. Instead he had to go to an opera…

Just then, the bell rang downstairs. Issei perked up, got out of his bed and ran down the staircase. He quickly opened the door and was stunned to see Sally with a red dress, low heels and a nice faux-leather coat over her dress.

"Hi, Issei," Sally greeted her boyfriend, the latter still looking at her with his mouth agape.

Seeing Issei's surprise, she moved her face closer towards him with a playful smile.

"Like what you see?" Sally asked. This caused Issei to wake up to reality.

"Yeah, yeah… You look great…" Issei replied flustered. Just then, some footsteps came from down the staircase.

"Issei," Issei's mother called. "Who is at the…" she stopped speaking upon seeing who it is.

"Sally…" Issei's mom greeted Sally happily with her arms wide open. "How are you, my dear girl?"

Sally, likewise, opened her arms, went past Issei and hugged his mother. Then Issei's mother noticed Sally's dress.

"Oh my… you look beautiful today…" Issei's mother remarked.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hyoudou… I wasn't sure what to pick, so I chose this one…" Sally remarked humbly.

"Well… it's better than the way my son is dressed…" Issei's mother remarked as she turned her face towards her son, who was still wearing his school uniform.

"Issei go up to your room and go wear something nice. We can't have you standing around here wearing casual clothes while your girlfriend looks like a lady," Issei's mother instructed Issei. Issei nodded and quickly went upstairs.

Issei looked back a bit before disappearing into his room. He admitted, it was nice that his mother got along with his girlfriend. Not every mom would ever do so to a potential daughter-in-law. With his mom and Sally, it always felt like they were friends of the same age that have known each other for a long time. It certainly was better than Sally's relationship with his father.

Issei shuddered at the thought. It may not have been an inappropriate relationship, but… it was embarrassing! There are times where Issei's dad makes remarks about Sally that make Issei and Mrs. Hyoudou wonder whether he was making a pass towards her. For example: He once remarked about her nice-smelling hair the other day (she had used honey shampoo that morning). Another one of his remarks was about how Sally reminded him of his wife during her youth.

Granted, Sally may not have minded it much (in fact, she would always thank him politely with a giggle), but Issei's mother did always give him a talking to afterwards. And boy, was that unpleasant to hear!

Issei opened the closet and took out a nice white dress shirt and some black trousers. He also went and found a black belt to fasten around his pants. After two minutes, he was done changing and checked himself in the mirror. Not bad looking, he had to admit. But it was a special occasion and Issei did not want to look bad in the eyes of his girlfriend.

Issei went downstairs and could already see Sally talking to his father. Both of them were talking about the upcoming opera they were going to see and… it seems like the conversation seems to be going well. The reason for that might be because Issei's mother was standing close to her husband with a noticeable smile, yet with a piercing gaze directed at him from behind. Issei probably guessed she was making sure that his dad didn't say anything out of line.

Once Issei came into everyone's view, Issei's dad turned to face him with a smile.

"Ah, Issei! My boy! You look nice!" Issei's dad complemented.

"Dad, please stop. You're embarrassing me…" Issei replied with a slight blush.

"Oh? But you do! I mean if you weren't, how could you even look your girlfriend in your face?" Issei's dad in a relaxed manner.

"Dear, when he first appeared at the door, he was still in his school uniform. I told him to go change just a few minutes ago…" Issei's mother whispered into her husband's ear. His smile disappeared for a second, as he listened to her words, only to nod and then smile again.

"Oh well… at least we're all ready now. So, let's get going. Parsifal is going to start in about half an hour," Issei's dad announced. Everyone nodded and went out the door. Sally was even skipping a bit, as Issei followed right behind her and shut the door behind him.

And so, the three opera-lovers went out (plus one reluctant participant) towards the city.

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 4:47 pm – Kuoh, near the Grand Old Theater_

Going from the Hyoudou residence, Issei, Sally and his parents leave for the Grand Old Theater in Kuoh. It is a place where all kinds of events like musicals, concerts, ballets and even operas take place. Issei always felt like this place was for people from the upper class – who in his eyes always liked to fancy suits and dresses. Speaking of which, some of the women among the many people wore some really nice dresses which sported some cleavage. Even though Issei still fancied such dresses and still wished to have a harem full of attractive women, he didn't think about them for the moment.

This was especially true, considering that Issei and Sally were both holding hands with each other, enjoying each other's presence like lovers would. Sally was leaning her head on Issei's shoulder and Issei was enjoying the feeling of her hair. It felt kind of ticklish and yet he loved it, being intimate with her in public. Issei didn't care that his parents were walking in front of them, glancing back and giggling at how cute they were. As long as Sally was there, he could go through anything.

They went to the queue, lined themselves up, showed their tickets and went in.

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 5:09 pm – Kuoh, inside one of the halls of the Grand Old Theater_

They came to the hall where the opera would take place and found their seats. Issei and Sally sat next to each other, still holding hands together. Issei had to admit, them wearing fancy clothes, sitting in an expensive theater together… was actually pretty neat, even though he still had to sit through an entire opera, lasting about 4 ½ hours!

Nevertheless, Issei decided to endure it for Sally's sake.

The opera began with a musical intro (Sally told Issei the intro set the mood of the opera and gives away some of the leitmotifs that would reappear during the run of the opera). Normally, Issei would have fallen asleep throughout the opera, but Sally had translations of the transcript on her phone, thus giving Issei an idea on what they were saying. Her additional knowledge on the subject of Wagner's works was also good, as he found out as the libretto went on.

Thanks to Sally, Issei had a good idea of what the story was about and why the libretto was so well beloved. The story was kind of epic and the music played a big role in that.

It all deals with a group of knights at a castle called Montsalvat guarding the Holy Grail. They were trying to find a cure for their injured Grail King Amfortas, along with a wild and irreverent woman called Kundry with a mysterious agenda. The only thing that could cure their king was the Holy Spear that pierced Jesus' side and incidentally gave Amfortas the uncurable wound. The only problem was that the spear was in the hands of Klingsor, a former knight that got banished because he could not contain his fleshly lusts, despite castrating himself. As a result, he grew to hate the knights and has tried everything to get back at his former comrades (it was he who injured Amfortas by the way).

Issei had to shudder at that description. Castrating himself was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

The only person that could get the spear back was a foolish young man named Parsifal. At first, he did not seem to fulfill the knights' test to see whether he was worthy and so cast him out. Parsifal gets lost and ends up at a mysterious flower garden that is owned by Klingsor. comes across Kundry who as it turns out was working for Klingsor the whole time. However, as she was under Klingsor's dominion and because she was cursed to live forever for laughing at Jesus Christ's sufferings, the only way for her to be freed from Klingsor's dominion and the curse, she needed someone to resist her seduction and temptations.

Parsifal was able to save to resist her temptations, survive an assassination attempt by Klingsor, take back the spear, take down Klingsor and his palace and leave.

After many years, Parsifal came back to the palace with the Holy Spear, redeems Kundry, cures Amfortas and becomes the new Grail King.

Throughout the opera, Issei learned a lot about how the music was involved in creating the atmosphere, what kind of training the singers had to go through, the various stories and myths about the knights of the Grail and much more.

As a result, Issei was interested, educated and even entertained for the entire 4 ½ hours. Issei was astounded just how well done the opera Parsifal was. But more importantly, just how lucky he was just to have Sally by his side.

Issei's parents watched with no small degree of happiness. Not only was their Issei spending some wonderful time with his lovely girlfriend, but he was actually enjoying the opera, too.

All in all, it was a great evening…

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 9:51 pm – Kuoh, on the way home_

The Hyoudou family and Sally were walking home together. On the way, Issei's parents playfully prodded their son to admit that he liked the opera. Issei, playing the tsundere, reluctantly admitted finding the opera "not too bad", earning some hearty laughs from everyone.

As they came to a junction, Issei's parents stopped talking when they realized something important and halted right in front of the crossing.

"Issei, Sally," Issei's father said, causing Issei and Sally to listen up. "We just remembered we have some shopping to do. We've got to get to the stores before they closed. So, Sally… Thank you for coming. It was great that you came along today."

"That's right," Issei's mother added. "Sally, you look beautiful today. I hope we can do something like this some other time. Issei, guide her home. As her boyfriend, it's only natural that you do. You two would make a wonderful married couple."

Both Issei and Sally looked flustered at their compliments, though none of them said anything.

The Hyoudou couple didn't waste any time. They ran to get to the supermarket, waving to the young teens as they ran.

"See you at home, Issei!" Issei's dad called out.

"Once again, Sally. You look wonderful!" Issei's mom called out.

After they left, Issei dropped a sweat.

"Did they really have to say that?" Issei deadpanned. Sally only giggled in response.

"Oh, Ise. Do you really want us not to look like a couple?" Sally replied, as she wrapped her arm around his.

Issei blushed, his lips forming a gentle smile.

"Actually…Yes, I do…" Issei responded. Then he faced her and moved his face closer to kiss her. She did the same and so were kissing all the way to Sally's house.

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 10:04 pm – Kuoh, in front of Sally's house_

Issei and Sally had just arrived at the latter's house. Both of them were still embracing each other as they went, not minding any of the stares any passerby made. Once they got there, Sally let go of her boyfriend to head in for the day.

"Thanks, Ise…It was a beautiful evening today…" Sally said.

"No… I'm the one who should be thanking you," Issei responded. "After all, if it hadn't been for you, I would have been bored to death…" Issei gave her a gentle smile, before hugging her.

Sally returned the hug, enjoying the warmth of Issei's masculine body.

"Ise… it… it's nothing really…" Sally tried to shrug it off.

"No, I owe you. I owe you… so much," Issei insisted. Sally didn't respond, as she let Issei speak on.

"There are so many things… that I've managed to learn and enjoy thanks to you… Things… that I never thought I could enjoy…" Issei spoke on, as he kissed her hair. Sally blushed a bit at how her boyfriend was lavishing praises to her. But Issei just continued.

"Whether it be on dates, art, literature, even opera… I learned so much because of you… But more important to me… is that…" Issei said lovingly, as he looked Sally in the eyes. "…is that you chose me to show your love to."

With that statement, the two of them kissed even more intensely, using their tongues this time. Both of their tongues were battling for dominance for a minute before they both stopped to gasp for air.

After catching their breath, Sally giggled once again.

"Ise… You're always such a charmer…" Sally said, as she wiped the saliva from the corner of her lips.

"Hey, what should I say? Anything for my girlfriend," Issei said with a grin.

The two of them giggled for a while until Issei spoke up again.

"I'll never forget the day whe-" Issei suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as he realized something.

Noticing her boyfriend's hesitation, Sally decided to tease Issei a bit.

"What? You'll never forget the day when what? Did you just remember something embarrassing? Ehehehe…" Sally laughed. But Issei was not laughing with her, instead he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Ise…?" Sally asked, this time with a more serious demeanor.

"Say, Sally… Do you remember the day we first met?" Issei asked Sally. Sally tilted her head in confusion, not sure what he meant.

"Sure, I do… why?" Sally asked.

"Funny," Issei stated with a frown. "Then why… is it that I can't remember?"

Sally looked at Issei in shock upon hearing it. Her body froze, not moving an inch. Nevertheless, Issei continued.

"I try so hard to remember everything we did together and I remember those fine, but… everything about the time we first met feels murky… like someone just took my memories away there… So, if you know, could you…?" Issei wanted to ask Sally something, bit upon looking at Sally, he stopped when he saw Sally looking at him with widened eyes and her hand covering her mouth. She slowly stepped away from him, as she then burst into a sprint towards her house.

"S-Sally?" Issei called out to her startled, trying to reach her with his arm. But Sally was already at the door and was quickly opening the door with her key. She quickly opened it and shut the door behind her.

Issei on the other hand was left outside, still frozen in shock at what happened.

Did forgetting about their first meeting hurt her feelings that much?

Issei put a hand to his face.

How could he have been so stupid?

They were having a wonderful date and Issei just ruined it.

And all because he forgot about their first meeting.

But then again…

Why could he not remember?

Why could he not remember their first meeting?

Why did everything have to feel so fuzzy?

And speaking of which…

Why did he feel so much déjà-vu throughout the day?

* * *

 **Please read and review.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	17. Chapter 2 - Motohama's date

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Why hello there, it is I Hide Shinyama.**

 **So let us review… since the last chapter (or the first one since I restarted it with significant changes), the perverted trio officially have girlfriends. Now, they are trying to lose their virginity to them after trying to introduce porn to them.**

 **Issei, however, has had to go to an opera with his parents – to his irritation. Thankfully, Sally made it easier and educational for him and thus had a good time.**

 **However, after accidentally revealing to Sally that he forgot their first time meeting each other, she became upset and bolted into the house.**

 **What will happen next? Will Issei reconcile with her? What about the perverted trio? How will their attempts to lose their virginity work out?**

 **Find out in the next chapter.**

 **Oh, before I forget. I said it before in my last chapter, but I will repeat it again.**

 **I am fine. Nothing happened to me in Chapter 15. Everything you just read is a situation created by me.**

 **Now that that is out of the way, let us begin with…**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Motohama's date

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 10:16 pm – Kuoh, on the way home_

Issei was walking down the street with his hands in his pants pocket. The wind was blowing and even though Issei was not wearing a coat, he didn't mind it. Why? Because his mind still dwelt on what he thought was a terrible mistake.

How could he forget? What kind of boyfriend would forget their first meeting? And more so, how could he say (aloud) that he had forgotten their first meeting and hurt the girl he loved?

Issei still remembered the upset look on Sally's face when he said that and how she ran into her house, as if she was trying to get away from him – as far away as possible. He just hoped he could talk to her later… apologize for insensitive words he said just now.

Issei was angry and frustrated with himself.

He tried so hard to think back to his first encounter with Sally, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember. Not only that, but he also couldn't remember when their first meeting was or even how long they have known each other.

Issei was able to remember their dates, however.

Sally and Issei going out for some ice cream, Sally meeting his parents, doing their homework together, cooking meals together, making out with each other… Issei could remember all that.

The strange thing is that despite remembering all these events, he couldn't remember when they all happened or even the chronology of events. For all Issei knew, any of these events could have happened anywhere between a few weeks and a few months.

Issei rubbed his hand over his hair. Everything felt so… fuzzy, unreal… like somehow his memories were altered or something, like some kind of science-fiction movie.

On top of that, there were all the other events of today that made him… strangely nostalgic. As Issei reflected back on today, he realized that there were quite a few notable events that happened today. The most prominent of all was when that new teacher Monique showed up.

Having a new teacher alone was already a notable event, how much more having their actual teacher hospitalized by some criminal. But Monique was quite… young – and hot and sexy – but the strange thing… is that Monique didn't seem to have a surname. Indeed. After being questioned after class she insisted that she had no surname. What kind of person did not have a surname?

But the weirdest part was that Issei felt like he had seen her… met her somewhere before… but where?

Issei ruffled his hair more intensely. It was just one thing after the other.

'You know what?' Issei reasoned internally. 'I'll worry about it later. First, I need to get home. It's getting chilly out here.'

Issei hugged his body and moved a bit faster. He hurried to get home, since it was already getting late and didn't want to keep his parents waiting. Issei figured that they had finished their late shopping and were home already.

'I hope they don't ask me about my walk home with Sally,' Issei hoped.

About half-way on his way home, Issei passed by a dark alley. He would have ignored it if he hadn't heard something that caused him to stop.

"Shut your mouth, b****!" a male said in a noticeably unfriendly manner. Whoever that was that person was inside the alley.

Issei widened his eyes in shock. Was he threatening someone? What was going on?

Before Issei could figure it out. The man spoke again.

"I SAID SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Issei heard the man shout, followed by… what sounded like a punch.

"Please, please… stop…" another voice said. This voice was female and she was clearly whimpering and begging the man to stop.

Issei held his breath, as he realized what was happening.

Someone was assaulting that poor girl/woman.

Issei gritted his teeth. He may not be particularly strong or good in martial arts, but he had to do something. Standing back while doing nothing was not an option. If he did it would way heavily on his conscience more than whatever he said to Sally earlier today.

That is why Issei snuck towards the alley, moving quietly towards the end of the alley just before it turned to the right.

Issei peered his head around the corner to see what was happening. What he saw shocked him to the core. It was dark but the dim street light at the end of the corner gave him a clear enough view on what was happening.

Issei saw a man wearing a blue coat, brown pants and a hip-pocket pinning down what seemed to be a black-haired woman being forcefully being undressed by the man. Issei saw how her shirt was violently torn off her chest and how her skirt had already been removed. Even worse was the fact that the woman was crying and sobbing during the whole ordeal. She was struggling to get out, but the man would not let her. Instead he used his fists to punch her repeatedly in order to silence her. The woman, not willing to give up, tried to escape for dear life despite all the blows she received to her face.

But even so she couldn't succeed.

Issei saw all this and it sickened him. He gritted his teeth even more. He was ready to move in and beat the living crap out of the rapist, but then Issei saw the man pull something out from his hip-pocket, causing Issei to freeze.

It was a gun.

The young woman also froze, stopping her struggle the moment she saw it.

"Please… please… I don't want to die…" the woman begged the violent man. "You can take anything you like… even rape me… just… don't kill me…"

The criminal made an evil grin upon hearing her say that.

"That's better…" he said, as he put the gun to her head. "…You know, it's a shame for me to kill someone as pretty as you. So…" The man then put a hand on her bra-strap and removed her bra from her chest, exposing it.

"…You'll do everything as I say," the man said with a sadistic grin. The woman whimpered and moaned as the man started to fondle her boobs.

Issei, despite his desire to stop this crime, remained frozen where he stood, watching the scene before him quietly. And why did he do it? Well, it wasn't because he was attracted to the huge oppai the woman had before him. In fact, in a rape context it was totally abhorrent to think about to get absorbed by them while someone was being raped. No, the reason why Issei froze was because the moment he saw the gun, the dark alley, the criminal, the woman being harmed and the pleas and screams of horror she made at the same time… something came to his mind.

To be more specifically…mental images of some scenes that suddenly came to mind.

 _[BANG!]_

" _HONEY! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY WIFE!?"_

 _[BANG!]_

" _DAD!"_

" _Let… me… go… Or… I'll… kill… you…"_

While Issei was busy dealing with the sudden rush of mental images, the rapist had stopped groping the young woman's bust with his left hand and started moving his hand to his pants. To the woman's horror she saw that the man was taking his pants off and was bringing out his… well… you know.

"Now, we'll move on to the next stage. I hope your p**** feels good," the evil man said with a scarily perverted look on his face. The woman whimpered but she couldn't do anything with the gun to her head.

' _I want to be stronger… Stronger…!'_

Issei broke out of his frozen state and took his first steps towards the rapist.

' _Stronger…!'_

"Now, take your panties off. I want to see your p****!" the man demanded. As Issei started to rush towards the rapist with a murderous intent.

' _Stronger…!'_

The man was too busy with the woman that he failed to notice Issei coming up from behind him with a strong killing intent. The woman on the other hand noticed it. She stopped whimpering and crying and looked over the man's shoulder to see who was coming up behind him.

" _STRONGER!"_

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Issei roared, making the rapist stop what he was doing and perk up and look behind him. What he got was a violently angry Issei throwing himself at the man and slamming him into the wall. The man's gun immediately dropped from his hand.

The woman saw her chance. She immediately got up and ran for dear life, not caring if she left her clothes behind. She ran around the corner with nothing on except her panties and her arms to cover her chest.

Issei didn't care for her at the moment and neither did the criminal, who was still dazed after being slammed against the wall like that. Issei grabbed the man's head by his hair and smashed it against the wall.

" _L-L-LET GO OF ME! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"_

The man tried to resist, but Issei smashed his head against the wall once more.

" _Let go of you?"_

The man groaned, but Issei showed no mercy, as he smashed his head against the wall again, causing it to bleed.

" _You hurt my mum…"_

And again, making the blood spatter against the wall.

" _And my dad…"_

And again, spattering Issei's clothes with blood.

" _AND FOR THAT I'LL KILL YOU!"_

Issei let go of the rapist, as he sunk down almost lifelessly. But Issei wasn't done yet. He saw the man's exposed crotch and raised his foot…

" _AAAAAAGH!"_

… and crushed the man's private parts in a bloody mess.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!" the rapist screamed, as he grabbed his destroyed crotch whimpering and screaming from severe agony, thrashing on the floor as he did so. But even then Issei wasn't done yet. He repeatedly curb-stomped the rapist's head multiple times until he stopped screaming and thrashing, lying perfectly still.

Issei fell down exhausted on the floor with his clothes being completely stained with blood. He panted and gasped for breath as he knelt exhausted on the floor. After a minute of calming down, Issei looked at the scene around him.

All around were either the clothes of the poor woman that had been raped, the dirt inside the alley, the rapist's gun and…

Issei gasped as his eyes lay on the rapist himself.

His head looked like mush, like his brain was oozing out. His crotch looked like it had been mutilated by torture in the most gruesome ways but Issei knew better.

He was the one who did it.

And worst of all, was that the man wasn't breathing – in short, he was dead!

Issei scrambled back in fright at the horrifying scene before him.

"Oh, goodness… I just killed him… I just killed him…" Issei whispered in horror. His bloody hands and clothes just proved the horrific deed which he had committed.

Issei couldn't believe it. How could he have done something like this?

Issei tried to think back. He saw the woman being raped by that piece of s***, he saw his gun and then… something just snapped inside of him, as if what he saw triggered some repressed memories.

But what were those memories? Issei could vaguely remember a similarly bloody scene that took place in an alleyway like this one, except…

'No, it couldn't be…' Issei thought. 'There's no way my parents could have been attacked by a robber. I mean, how could I – or even them – possibly forget about it?'

It was ridiculous. What Issei experienced were something akin to flashbacks. But how could he have flashbacks to events that couldn't have happened?

While Issei was pondering all this, suddenly more 'memories' came rushing to his head.

Issei held his head in pain. When he looked, he saw an alternative version of himself holding his father in his arms. What shocked him was just how bloody his father was. Moreover, his mother was shockingly lying motionless on the ground with her head completely bloodied.

" _Dad! I-I…"_

" _It doesn't matter… Son… *cough* Just please… take care of your mother… and… *cough* live…"_

" _Dad… no… Please… dad…Dad, wake up! Please don't do this to me! Dad! Dad! DAAAAD!"_

"What is this?" Issei said in horror. He saw himself turn his face towards his mother who was lying not too far from his father.

" _MUM!"_

"What is this?" Issei asked once again, as he saw himself desperately trying to shake his mother awake, hoping she would respond. But she was already dead.

In his horror, Issei saw the other Issei looking around horrified and then running away in fear.

Issei watched as the other Issei ran away and when he looked back he saw one more body of a person he didn't know whose… spine was ripped out of his body or something. Issei recoiled in horror, as he saw the corpse. Issei immediately looked away.

'Who is that?' Issei thought. But as soon as he looked back, his parents' bodies were gone and the unknown man with the ripped-out spine was also gone and was instead replaced by the rapist Issei had killed earlier.

The 'memory' or vision had ended.

Issei couldn't take it anymore. Just like his other self, he ran out of the alley horrified, running as fast as he could through the night.

He didn't care where he was going. All he cared was to get away from that alley as far away as possible. He has had enough of flashbacks!

First, all these weird feelings of déjà-vu earlier, then the fallout with Sally and now a first-time kill!

And to top it all off, horrifying memories of his parents lying dead in an alleyway – something that he knew couldn't have happened (not that it made it any less horrifying). All of it felt so… real… and eerie.

It was like a horror movie in real life. It was though as if someone was going out of his way to throw Issei's life off the loop.

'I've had enough. I'VE HAD ENOUGH!' Issei screamed mentally, as he ran towards the darkness of the night. 'I WANT TO GO HOME! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!'

Unfortunately for Issei, he failed to notice the passer-by right up front and ran into him. They both fell to the ground and groaned, as the passer-by started to speak up.

"Hey! Watch where you're going…" the passerby wanted to continue, until he looked up and saw Issei.

"ISSEI!?" the passerby shouted in surprise.

"What? Who…?" Issei said, as he looked at the passerby in question. It was then that you recognized him.

"Motohama?" Issei said, as he looked at his friend in surprise. Motohama was still wearing his school uniform after school for some reason (something which he never did) and was staring at Issei with a shocked expression.

'What on earth is Motohama doing out here so late?' Issei wondered.

"Issei! What the heck happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?" Motohama asked out loud.

"I…" Issei tried to speak up. He tried to explain but then he looked at the estate of his clothes and decided to postpone it. For now, Issei needed some spare clothes and a shower.

"Motohama? Can I come to your place for a while? I need to change my clothes and I don't want my parents to know," Issei asked to the still shocked Motohama.

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 10:45 pm – Kuoh, Motohama's house_

Issei had just taken off his clothes, taken a shower and changed into some new clothes. Right now, he was wearing a yellow shirt and some brown shorts which belonged to Motohama. It felt weird wearing his friend's clothes but at least they fit.

Issei sighed as he looked down at his bloody clothes that were lying on a pile on the bathroom floor. If it hadn't been for those, Issei would have considered everything that had happened earlier to be nothing more than a dream.

Issei still couldn't believe it. He had killed someone. Jumped on his head and crotch until they turned into mush.

Issei felt sick. He was still feeling nauseous, despite having thrown up a few minutes earlier. He wondered how people could ever get used to killing. It was bloody, messy and horrifying.

Even worse was the feeling of guilt and the images that would follow into his nightmares.

"Was what I did right?" Issei asked himself.

Sure, that man was evil and deplorable and was willing to rape and possibly even kill that poor woman, had Issei not arrived in time. But Issei couldn't help but feel that what he did was too excessive. Maybe if he had just restrained the rapist and called the police would have been enough. Instead, Issei just… killed him like a fanatic… almost as if he had been driven to do so.

And it was all because of those feelings of déjà-vu… those mental images that he had received earlier.

What were those? Memories? Visions? Mental suggestions?

Issei put a hand to his head as he stood in front of the mirror.

Today… was quite an eventful day… to say the least. But more so, something… was going on. And he needed to find out what.

Putting on a more determined look, Issei left the bathroom and went downstairs. Coming down the stairs, Issei could see Motohama standing near the table and drinking a glass of coke. After Motohama finished sipping from his cup, he looked at Issei.

"Want some?" Motohama offered.

Issei nodded and was handed a cup which Motohama had poured coke into.

Issei gulped it all down. He needed to get the taste of vomit and the smell of blood off his mind and the coke helped him significantly. After Issei finished his cup, he turned to see Motohama looking at him expectantly. Issei sighed and spoke up first.

"You're… probably wondering why my clothes were covered in blood, right?" Issei asked in a subdued tone.

"Heck, yeah you're right! What on earth happened? Did you get into an accident? Were you hurt?" Motohama asked worried.

"No…" Issei reassured him. "…Nothing of the sort. I'm fine… at least physically…"

Nevertheless, this did not calm down Motohama's anxiety. It was clear that he was worried for his friend and comrade, which is why he continued badgering Issei with questions.

"Then what happened? Did you get into a fight? What happened to Sally? Did the date turn into a disaster or something? Or…"

"Motohama! Calm down! I'll explain everything. One by one," Issei cut his friend off.

Motohama calmed down and apologized.

"I'm sorry, man. It's just… a lot of things happened to me today…" Motohama said. This caused Issei to raise his eyebrows.

"Why? What happened?" Issei wondered.

Motohama looked downwards in soberness.

"I… tried to get Julie to watch porn with me here… and… It didn't go as well as I'd hoped it to be…" Motohama answered.

Issei simply shook his head and put a hand to his face.

"Let me guess… You blew it up, she got mad and left, right?" Issei assumed.

Motohama shook his head. "Well… No… What actually happened was something different…" Motohama replied.

Issei looked at Motohama quizzically.

"How so? What happened?" Issei asked again.

Motohama sighed in response as he looked back at what had happened earlier this day.

"Well… I think I should tell you what happened…" Motohama started, thus beginning his narration.

* * *

 _Flashback – a few hours ago_

Motohama and Julie had just arrived at the Todoriki residence. They had just come back from school and were planning on spending the evening together. However, Motohama was nervous because 1) it was only their second date together and 2) he was afraid his plan (or should one say Issei's plan) would fail. After all, it was quite a risky move to watch porn with someone who might find it revolting – especially if it's the girl one likes.

Julie was also noticeably nervous. After the two of them had taken off their shoes, she looked nervously around the house. Motohama presumed she was also nervous just like he was (probably for the first reason of Motohama's reasons, too). As a result, there was this… awkward atmosphere between them that made them both feel tense.

They went into the living room and then Motohama made the first move to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Say, Julie… Want something to drink?" Motohama asked nervously.

Julie nodded. "Y-yes… I do…" she responded just as shyly.

Motohama went to the kitchen to fetch some coke and two glasses. At the same time, he tried to mentally calm himself.

"Calm down… calm down…" he mumbled to himself. "You've dome this before… you're together now. You shouldn't be feeling this way…"

Nevertheless, Motohama could not help but worry whether his plan would work. After all, it was porn they were talking about. And although some women may be into porn (like Issei said earlier), it might still spoil the date just because of how awkward it might get.

Even worse, it might ruin Julie's image of him.

Though then again, as Issei also said earlier, they were known as the perverted trio. Why should that even be a surprise to Julie whether he watched porn?

Motohama rubbed his head a bit.

'Still… it is a risky move…' he thought to himself. Then Motohama had an idea.

"You know what? We don't even have to go so far. An ecchi anime is also good enough! Yeah, there's no need to go all with hentai if a subtler anime could do the job!" Motohama said out loud.

"Umm… what could a hentai do?" Julie asked, as she peered her head through the kitchen door.

"WWWAGGHH!" Motohama screamed in surprise. Julie yelped as well.

"Julie! W-what are you doing here?" Motohama asked, as he recovered from his shock.

"Umm… you invited me here…" Julie responded with a slightly confused look on her face.

"N-no… umm… What I meant was… Never mind…" Motohama said.

Both of them didn't say a word for a while because of the awkward situation until Motohama remembered about the drinks.

"Oh, yeah! The drinks! I should get them…Umm… Please wait a sec, I'll get right to you," Motohama spoke up.

"Uh, yes, yes. Sure…" Julie replied and went back to the living room.

Motohama sighed. This was not going as planned. Nevertheless, it was too early to call this date a lost cause. The day was still young and could be fixed.

And so Motohama readied himself and took the drinks out to the living room.

Once there he found Julie sitting on the sofa, looking around the room. Upon his arrival, Julie turned her attention upon her boyfriend who was pouring her glass with coke and handing it to her.

"Th-thanks…" Julie said with a shy smile.

"You're welcome. Ehehe…" Motohama responded with a smile as well.

After finishing their drinks, Motohama sat down next to Julie. Once again both of them were silent and didn't say a word for a few moments.

"Umm… Julie?" Motohama asked.

"Yes…?" Julie replied.

'OK… here goes nothing…' Motohama thought as he prepared himself.

"Do you want to watch a henta- I MEAN, UH…" Motohama quickly halted himself, as Julie blushed in surprise at what her boyfriend was saying. Motohama was also embarrassed at what he let out of his mouth.

"I mean… umm…" Motohama cleared his throat as he clarified himself. "Do you want to want to wa-"

"No problem," Julie replied with her bangs covering her eyes.

This caused Motohama to look at Julie in confusion.

"No problem… what?" Motohama asked unsure of what Julie just said.

"I said it's no problem… watching a hentai together… if that's what you want…" Julie said.

"EEEEHHHH!" Motohama screamed, as he moved away from Julie in shock but still remained seated on the sofa. Julie flinched back in surprise from the scream.

'She… she… really doesn't mind? This is… no, no… a hentai may still be too much for a girl like her. I should go for a regular romance anime…' Motohama reasoned.

Sitting back upright, Motohama responded.

"Well, I didn't want to say 'Watch a hentai'. What I meant to say was… watch romance anime. I mean, a hentai may be too much for you…" Motohama reasoned.

"OK… if you say so…" Julie said, as she calmed down, playing with her long purple hair as she did so. "What do you suggest we watch?"

Motohama had to think about it. What did he want to watch? He thought for a moment…

"I've got it!" Motohama exclaimed. "Why not a classic? Like 'Onegai teacher'? That's a nice anime. Have you ever seen it before?" Motohama asked.

"No, never," Julie replied as she shook her head.

"Well… ok, then…" Motohama replied with a nervous smile, as he prepared to go upstairs. "I'll get the DVD down. In the meantime, if you want to drink, there's more coke on the table, OK?"

Julie nodded and Motohama ran upstairs to fetch the DVD in question.

After coming down the two of them watched 'Onegai Teacher' on the TV-set. It spanned a total of 12 episodes totaling more than four hours (there was a 13th episode but that was basically an aftermath filler episode so they decided to leave it out). And so the two of them watched till it was getting dark outside.

Generally, the anime deals with a boy called Kei Kusanagi who had a medical condition that causes him to get standstills, meaning he would fall in a sort of coma for a few hours or even three years. Although Kei is fifteen years old physically, he really is eighteen years old, having fallen into a standstill for three years only to wake up after three years and finding out everything has changed. As a result, he left his original home and his now grown-up friends to live with his uncle and aunt in the countryside and has made new friends. Nevertheless, Kei still lives with the fear of falling into a standstill which happen every once in a while, though thankfully nothing serious.

One day, while lying out in the field at night, he sees a mysterious spaceship arrive and an alien in the form of a gorgeous woman appearing before him. Kei escapes, though eventually he and the woman meet again.

The female alien's name is Mizuho Kazami and she was on earth exploring and watching over the earth. On earth, she is Kei's classroom teacher.

After Kei and Mizuho get caught by the principal spending time in the sports equipment shed and in order to prevent Mizuho from being fired, Kei give the principal the excuse that they're engaged. And because Kei manages to convince the principal that he is eighteen years old, the principal buys it and Kei and Mizuho actually get married for real for good measure.

After that, they move in together, get to know each other, try their best not to have their relationship discovered and even have to deal with a love triangle between Kei, Mizuho and a girl named Koishi Herikawa, who has a crush on Kei.

Eventually, Kei falls into a serious standstill once more which causes Mizuho to use alien technology in order to save him. But Mizuho's superiors weren't pleased and removed her from earth and erased everyone's memories of her, including Kei's. Before she left, they managed to say goodbye and share one last romantic moment together. After Mizuho's departure, Kei manages to overcome his standstill, move on from his past and wake up.

After a year has gone by, Mizuho manages to return back to earth in secret, she meets Kei once more, Kei remembers her and they both get married once again. And thus, they lived happily ever after.

As for Julie and Motohama, they both enjoyed it. Both Julie and Motohama were moved tears. Motohama, despite having watched it once before, couldn't help it. It just was a strong and well-executed anime with a solid story, deep characters and beautiful soundtrack. Julie having watched it for the first time, was constantly on edge or was sobbing – so much that almost the entire box of tissues had been used up.

By the time, the end came up, they found each other in each other's arms and neither one of them was uncomfortable with that. In fact, while the credits rolled, they were looking into each other's eyes and giving a few pecks to the other and giggling. They snuggled with each other with Julie lying on top of Motohama, her breasts pressing against Motohama's, with their arms wrapped around each other.

Motohama grinned. His plan has been an unbelievable success.

'O wow…' Motohama thought lecherously. 'Her boobs are the best! I can't wait to see them!'

All that he now had to do was to convince Julie to come to bed with him and have sex.

"Say, Motohama?" Julie said, as she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah?" Motohama smiled, as he kissed her lips. Their kiss lasted at least five seconds before they separated.

"I really enjoyed this anime. Thanks…" Julie said.

"You're welcome," Motohama replied, as he played with her hair, feeling the smooth touch of her hair.

* * *

 _Flashback ends – back to the present_

"Hey, that sounds like an alright date," Issei remarked, as he heard Motohama's story. "So, why did you think it went bad?"

"Well, it's not so much that the date went bad, but…" Motohama started.

* * *

 _Flashback – about two hours ago_

They continued making out on the sofa for a few minutes until Motohama got up to take out the CD and switch off the TV. As he made his way back to Julie, Julie was already sitting up straight and had readjusted her clothes.

"I have to say, the anime was well done," Julie commented.

Motohama nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Although it may not be my type of anime, I still thought was a good anime."

"Yes, especially the soundtrack. It was beautiful…" Julie sighed happily.

"Well… yeah… I agree. But as I thought about 'Onegai Teacher' over the years, I realized that the most interesting part of it was the antagonist," Motohama said. Julie raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"The antagonist?" Julie asked.

Motohama nodded. "Yeah, the antagonist. The standstill."

Julie face lit up in realization. "Oh… Is see. Come to think of it, the standstill was the whole reason for Kei's problems… An illness as an antagonist. It has been done well before in other shows… you know as an impersonal enemy of a sort…"

Motohama nodded again. "Yeah, but not only that. What makes this enemy different from other illnesses is the fact that the standstill is not only impersonal, but also personal as well."

"What do you mean?" Julie asked.

"Remember Kei's sister that died, causing Kei to fall into the three-year standstill and always have these visions about her trying to persuade him to join her into the eternity of nothingness? She's the personification," Motohama explained.

"Oh, I see… How brilliant. I didn't know you knew how to interpret story-telling devices so well…" Julie praised Motohama.

"Ehehe… It's nothing," Motohama chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Anyway, when Kei came to the decision to live for the present and give up the past, or in Kei's words, he gave up 'eternity' to live in the 'finite' world… or something like that… he rejected his sister, too. In doing so, he was finally able to say goodbye to her and overcome his standstills. Ever since, he has never had any problems with standstills and can finally move onto be with Mizuho."

"Wow, that's a well-done explanation," Julie praised. "If only you were this good in school more often, your grades might actually go up."

"Well… don't expect too much from me. I only can do something like this only with topics I'm interested in and a lot of what school teaches is **not** what I'm interested in," Motohama clarified with his arms crossed before his shoulders.

Julie only shook her head at his stubbornness, while giggling.

"Oh, you're hopeless…" Julie remarked.

Motohama also chuckled alongside of her, before pausing to think for a moment.

"But still… it got me thinking…" Motohama said with a distant look as he sat down right next to her again.

"What?" Julie wondered.

"I wonder if I ever could do what Kei did," Motohama said, turning his face to Julie. "You know… Getting over the past you just can't let go off and moving on to a new life…"

Julie looked at her boyfriend with concern on her face.

"Why would you want to do that? Is there something in the past that's bothering you?" Julie asked a bit worried.

"No… no… nothing of the sort…" Motohama reassured her. "It's just that the show has got me thinking for some reason…"

"You mean about letting go of the past?" Julie asked again.

"Well… yeah…" Motohama replied while nodding. Then after looking downward, he continues.

"What if I was in situation like that… you know… if I was in a standstill… and had someone forcing me to stay in a world of nothingness when I could be awake, living out my life in so many different ways… ways I could never imagine… places I never thought I would see… people who I never thought I would meet… Could I ever make that step? I don't know. But one thing I do know…" Motohama said as he looked at Julie with a tender smile.

"I just want you there by my side. Whatever may come…" Motohama finished, but then realized something was wrong. Julie's hair was covering her eyes once more, but this time… she was trembling. Then… teardrops?

Motohama widened his eyes. Did he upset her? Did he do something wrong?

Motohama tried to console her by hugging her, which lead to Julie returning the hug as the tears dripped unto his Kuoh Academy T-shirt. They sat there for a while not saying anything.

"Julie? What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Motohama asked concerned.

Julie just shook her head, as she tried to dry her tears.

"No… *sob* no… it's something else…" Julie sobbed, as Motohama handed her a tissue from the tissue box. She blew her nose with it and wiped her tears away. Then tossed it in the trash bin where the rest of the used tissues were.

"Then… what is it?" Motohama inquired further.

Instead of answering, Julie looked away, still sobbing.

"Julie?" Motohama asked.

"I…" Julie hesitated. Motohama listened with anticipation to what she had to say.

"Can I use the bathroom for a while *sob*…?" Julie asked. "I need to wash my face."

Motohama was taken by surprise because of her response but eventually nodded.

"Upstairs… on the left side. That's where it is," Motohama pointed out. Julie excused herself and went up the stairs to the bathroom.

After hearing the bathroom door close, Motohama sighed. He wondered why Julie was in tears. He didn't say anything offensive, right? Maybe she misunderstood it. Motohama perked up. Wait, that could be it. Maybe she misunderstood that he was trying to leave her and go someplace else. But then he shook his head.

"No…" Motohama mumbled to himself. "…That can't be it. I did tell her that I wanted her by my side whatever happens. So… what could it be? Maybe… it has to do something with her personal life. Yeah! That might be it. But what could possibly cause Julie to cry like that?"

Then he heard the bathroom door close and Julie coming down the stairs.

Motohama looked at her. She had calmed down from her crying, but still had a reddened face. Once Julie sat down next to Motohama, there was once again an awkward silence between them. Nobody said a word until Julie spoke up.

"I…I'm going home…" Julie simply said, as she stood up.

Motohama didn't say anything. He complied with her wish, seeing that neither one of them was in a mood for romance and the atmosphere was ruined now. He accompanied her to the door and helped her put on her jacket.

Neither of them said a word until the door was opened and Julie was ready to leave. Motohama and Julie looked at each other one more time.

"Julie…I'm sorry…" Motohama apologized.

Julie shook her head. "No… it has nothing to do with you…"

"Then what? What's wrong? You can tell me, can't you?" Motohama asked her.

"It… it's personal. I don't want to talk about it. Good night," Julie replied. She kissed Motohama's cheek before going out the door, leaving a saddened Motohama behind.

"Good night…" Motohama said quietly half to her and half to himself before closing the door.

Motohama went up to his room and sat on his bed, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

* * *

 _Flashback end_

"I sat there for about an hour just trying to wrap my head around why Julie was crying but I couldn't – not really. After that I decided to get up and take a walk out in the night. It was dark but I didn't care. I don't know how long I was outside. Then I bumped into you and… well… you know the rest of the story," Motohama finished telling Issei what had happened.

Issei was still sitting on the sofa and had listened quietly (well mostly) to Motohama's story, while Motohama sat on one of the chairs near the table. After hearing it, Issei was shocked just how similar his date was to his own.

Both their dates went well until the very end, which left both Sally and Julie crying for some reason – because of something that they said.

"It really seems like a coincidence," Issei muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Motohama asked Issei.

"No, I was just thinking about how similar our dates went out. You see, Sally also cried at the end of our date because of something I did," Issei explained.

"Did that have something to do with all the blood on your clothes?" Motohama asked.

Issei shook his head. "No, it didn't. That… was another issue. But back to your story. You said that she said that she cried for some personal reason. Any idea what it could be?"

Motohama frowned. "Are you ever going to tell me your story?" Motohama asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, yeah…" Issei said dismissively. "But first, answer the question and then we can move on."

Motohama looked at Issei sternly before responding. "As I said, I don't know. It could be anything for all I know."

Issei mulled over what he heard about Julie and Sally's reaction and tried to compare the two.

Motohama didn't seem to forget about his first meeting with Julie, let alone say it out loud, so obviously the reason for the two of them to get upset couldn't have been the same one. But still… Issei still felt like something Motohama said may have been the trigger. Only… what?

'*Sigh* Whatever it is, all I can say is: Women, the greatest mysteries on earth,' Issei reasoned.

Then he turned his sight to the sofa seat next to him and saw a piece of folded paper. It was half tucked under the pillow that got his attention.

"Motohama?" Issei asked.

"Yeah?" Motohama replied.

"What's that?" Issei pointed with his finger at the piece of paper.

Motohama moved closer to see what his friend was talking about. His eyes narrowed as he saw the piece of paper.

"It looks like a piece of paper," Motohama said, as he picked it up and opened it. "I wonder what this i-"

Suddenly, Motohama stopped speaking. What he saw surprised him that it left him speechless.

"Motohama?" Issei asked curiously, trying to get his friend's attention. "Do you know what it is?"

Motohama signaled Issei to come with his hand. "Check this out, man. You've got to read it."

Issei came over and what he saw surprised him, too.

On the paper were words written to Motohama – by Julie! Now why did she do that? Nevertheless, the two of them read the letter and it contained the following words:

 _Dear Motohama,_

 _I'm sorry for ruining our date. I didn't mean to. But you must listen to me. I can't say this out loud, but what you just said about 'Onegai Teacher' earlier is pretty much the reason for everything._

 _You must be careful._ _She_ _is still out there. And_ _she_ _wants revenge._

 _Be on your guard. Look for the true author._

 _Love Julie_

Issei looked at Motohama in confusion.

"Motohama? What on earth is she talking about?" Issei asked.

"I… don't know…" Motohama asked frustrated. "What I do know is that something weird is going on..."

"Do you think Julie is being threatened? It must be if she has to go out of her way in order to write a letter," Issei remarked.

"Maybe… I don't know… I think we should decipher what she is trying to say point for point first…" Motohama suggested.

"Good idea…" Issei agreed.

While they looked over Julie's letter, they heard some frantic banging on the door.

"MOTOHAMA! MOTOHAMA! OPEN UP!" Issei and Motohama heard a familiar voice beg them.

Motohama opened the door and a sweat-drenched Matsuda burst in, panting and wiping the sweat of his face.

"Oh… thank goodness… Thank goodness… hah… hah…" Matsuda said in relief. He lifted his face towards Issei and had a look of surprise on him.

"Issei…? You're here…? Hah… hah…" Matsuda panted.

"Never mind all that. What's going on?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, what happened? Why does it look like you ran a marathon?" Motohama added.

"Hah… hah… very funny…" Matsuda said, as he calmed down. "But seriously. YOU'VE GOT TO HELP ME!"

Matsuda's scream caused Issei and Motohama to flinch.

"Why? What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"Lots of things! So many things are wrong that it's freaking me out!" Matsuda answered.

"Ok… calm down, man. Tell us everything," Motohama told him.

And so, Matsuda began to tell his story…

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **And that was Chapter 2.**

 **I have to say I had a nice summer break from work, but I'll be back to work by Monday. And that means I have much to catch up.**

 **I'm glad I managed to finish this chapter before the weekend ends.**

 **Anyway, now that that's out of the way, let us talk about the chapter.**

 **I hope the rape scene wasn't too disturbing, though… I bet you've seen worse. Issei has just killed someone and now he has to deal with the trauma – right after falling out with Sally. Not a good day.**

 **Motohama also had a falling out with Julie after a nice date and now this mystery letter written by her appears. What does this mean? And what is Julie trying to convey?**

 **And now Matsuda comes in looking all terrified. What does he have to tell?**

 **Find out next. Please read and review.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	18. Chapter 3 - Matsuda's date

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Why hello, hello… it is I once again, Hide Shinyama.**

 **The last time we saw Issei fight and kill someone after the latter tried to rape a woman. While he did so, he received many disturbing visions and images of gore and killing, causing Issei to flee in a panic.**

 **On the way, he met Motohama who told him of his failed date with Julie. After discovering a mysterious note, Matsuda interrupts them in a panic to tell them some horrible news.**

 **What did Matsuda see?**

 **P. S. I'm fine. Sorry for the delay. I have been slacking off a bit. And…**

 **Nothing happened to me in Chapter 14. I can't emphasize it more than enough. Nobody attacked me inside my PC whatsoever, so please don't worry.**

 **Anyway, here is…**

Chapter 3 – Matsuda's date

* * *

 _3_ _rd_ _September, Monday, about 11:02 pm – Kuoh, Motohama's house_

Matsuda had just taken a seat on one of the chairs near the table. Like Issei, he too took a shower after he had arrived and was now sitting bare-chested in the living room with Issei and Motohama. He still had his pants on, so it was no problem.

Originally, Matsuda wanted to tell them why he was spooked, but Issei told Matsuda to go take a shower because of the smell his body gave out. Matsuda, having no problem with it did so (in fact, a shower was just what he needed at that moment).

In the meantime, Issei had just called his parents to tell them he was staying at Motohama's house to discuss their homework. His parents, though skeptical, gave their consent, but told him to be back by midnight. After Issei had finished his phone call and Matsuda was seated, everyone's attention was on Matsuda.

"OK. Tell us. Why were you running here in the middle of the night?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, did your date with Nathalie also go wrong like mine?" Motohama asked. This caused Issei to look at Matsuda with a questioning look.

"Wait, you went on a date, too?" Issei asked.

"Yeah, you guys, too?" Matsuda asked, looking at both Issei and Motohama.

Both of them nodded. "Yeah, we did. I went to the opera with my parents and Sally. It went well but… I said something stupid and… Sally ran away upset…" Issei said with a somber look.

"Well, in my case I also may have said something that upset Julie. We were watching TV and after that… I may have triggered something that was bothering her…" Motohama said with a subdued tone as well.

"Wow… I'm really sorry, guys…" Matsuda said, trying to comfort his friends.

Motohama and Issei, however, reverted to being inquisitive to Matsuda by turning their attention back towards him.

"But anyway, we'll explain that to you later. We don't have the time for that. So, tell us: How did your date go? You acted as if you've just seen hell. Did the date really go out that badly?" Issei asked.

Matsuda shook his head. "No… 'badly' is hardly the right word for it… It was a nightmare come to life… as if I was in a horror movie… Granted, the beginning of our date was great… but… then…" he shuddered as he relieved his memories.

Issei and Motohama gulped and looked at each other with worry. What could possibly have happened on his date with Nathalie? For some reason (in part because of all the weird things that have been happening to them today) they dreaded to find out. But… still. They needed to find out. This is why they steeled their wills, looked Matsuda directly into his eyes and asked him once again.

"Tell us Matsuda. Tell us what happened from the beginning of your date with Nathalie," Issei told Matsuda.

Matsuda nodded, as he started narrating.

* * *

 _Flashback – about six hours earlier_

Similar to Motohama, Matsuda also invited Nathalie to come to his house that day. He even went out to her house to pick her up. While having sex was one reason for Nathalie to come over, another reason was so that Matsuda could "make it up" to her because of his ogling of their new teacher Monique.

Matsuda actually thought that it was weird – and cool – to get to call their smoking hot teacher by her first name. Did she really not have a surname? Whatever the case, Matsuda was happy having her either way, so much that Nathalie had to pull him by the cheek whenever he stood there daydreaming. She wanted to make sure that her boyfriend wouldn't get too distracted by the new teacher. No way, she was ever going to lose to someone like her.

Anyway, Matsuda and Nathalie had just entered the house and were taking off their coats and shoes. After they finished undressing, Matsuda decided to get a little naughty. He grabbed Nathalie from behind and wrapped his arms around her tiny body.

Nathlie mock-struggled as she fought and giggled at Matsuda's touchiness. They wrestled for a little while until Matsuda managed to lift her up by her legs in such a way that Nathalie was leaning back on Matsuda. Moreover, because Nathalie was wearing a skirt, her underwear could be seen if one was on the other side.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?" Nathalie asked embarrassed, as she saw the compromising position she was in.

Matsuda just grinned at her playfully. "What? I just like carrying you. That's all."

"Yeah, b-but this position is way too indecent! My underwear can be seen!" Nathalie protested.

"So?" Matsuda asked rhetorically. "There's no one else here except the two of us. Besides, you're wearing tights."

"Yeah, b-but…" Nathalie stuttered. "It's still embarrassing!"

"And that's one of the things that drive me crazy about you…" Matsuda whispered with lust in his voice.

"M-my underwear!?" Nathalie exclaimed incredulously.

"N-no! Actually…" Matsuda said, trying to deny what she just said. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right. Besides, ít's not like she doesn't know that he is a pervert, so… might as well say it. Nathalie in the meantime looked at Matsuda with a pout, as if expecting an answer.

"Well… actually…" Matsuda started. "Umm… to be honest, yeah… that's one of the things… But I really was talking about your tsundere behavior."

Nathalie was caught off guard for a moment there. But she quickly regained her pouting face. Though she couldn't help but blush.

"And…?" Nathalie questioned further, as she moved her ear closer to him. "What else?"

Matsuda pondered about what he loved about Nathalie. There were so many things about her that he loved but he wasn't sure if he wanted to name all of them, since some of them were… unusual fetishes. Nevertheless, he decided to name those he had no problem with.

"Well…" Matsuda whispered seductively in her ear, causing to shudder. "…I like your loli-type body… your hair… and just anything you wear…"

Nathalie looked at Matsuda with a frown. "What do you mean by 'anything you wear'? Does it mean that even if I wore a baggy pants and a loose t-shirt like those wannabee stereotypical rappers that you would get aroused at that?"

Matsuda had to think about that for a second, before he responded. "Well, ok… it may look weird… admittedly… but at the same time, I think even then you would look cute… But the best kind of clothes are… well…" Matsuda looked at her skirt and began playing around with the hem of Nathalie's blue skirt with his left hand. His right hand moved to Nathalie's legs and were rubbing and playing with her black tights, fingering with her material.

Nathalie blushed even stronger at what Matsuda was doing, before she realized what he was trying to say.

"W-w-what? You've got a thing for my clothes?" Nathalie asked shocked and embarrassed at Matsuda's newly revealed fetish.

Matsuda nodded his head.

"B-but… other girls have better clothes than I do. So why me?" Nathalie questioned her boyfriend.

"Well, that's true. But what I like about you is your white shirt and blue skirt has a good combination with your black leggings," Matsuda replied before kissing her ear.

Nathalie yelped a bit from the kiss, before looking at her black leggings.

"Really? You like my leggings, too?" Nathalie remarked, before pouting once again. "You're weird. You know that?"

Matsuda just shrugged his shoulders. "What should I say? I am a member of the perverted trio after all," Matsuda said with a sly smile.

Nathalie giggled, as she kissed his cheek. Then Matsuda decided to carry his girlfriend to the sofa where he sat down with Nathalie on top of his lap. Matsuda mock-humped her from behind, hugging her even more tightly than before. Nathalie wasn't idle as she gestured Matsuda to let her go. She turned around to straddle him in order to kiss him. For the next ten minutes, Matsuda and Nathalie would spend their time kissing and hugging each other on the sofa. Matsuda focused especially a lot of time feeling Nathalie's black tight-wearing legs all over the place – especially under her skirt. Matsuda he every moment of it.

In short, it was an unforgettable make-out session.

After the ten minutes were over both of them were resting in each other's embrace, their clothes significantly disheveled and their bodies covered in sweat. Nathalie got up from her boyfriend and stood up to stretch her body.

"Hehe… you look like a cat when you do that," Matsuda teased.

Nathalie pouted. "I'm not a cat! I just feel stiff that's all!" she retorted.

Matsuda giggled at her. She really was fun to tease.

"Anyway, where is the bathroom? I need to go wipe the sweat off my face," Nathalie asked, looking around for it.

Matsuda pointed towards the entrance.

"It's the door on the left," Matsuda pointed out. Nathalie went but before she got in, Matsuda called out to her.

"There's a shower and a towel there in case you want to take a shower," Matsuda told her. Nathalie nodded and gave her boyfriend a toothy grin, before entering and closing the door.

Matsuda sighed, as he sat upright.

Nathalie… She was his girl…

And no one else's.

Even though they have been together for some time now, Matsuda still felt like he was on cloud nine. Every day was like heaven whenever he was with her. Sure, there were times where got scolded for doing something stupid (like ogling the new teacher) and, sure, he still thought other girls were attractive, too (he was a member of the perverted trio after all). Yet, Nathalie was different… like only she understood him and only she showed understanding for his fetishes and desires and… yet she was more than just an object to be looked at.

She was… precious to him. There was no other way to describe it. Like something never to be let go off.

Certainly, he still had a wish to become a harem king just like his other buddies, but… even if he failed in doing that… he still would have been content with just having Nathalie with him forever.

Forever.

Forever…

For…ever…

[Help… me…]

Matsuda perked up.

"What the…?" Matsuda said in surprise, as he looked around.

Did someone just cry for help? He was pretty sure someone said "Help me".

Did it come from next door? Matsuda stood up and went to look out of one of the windows.

There was nothing. No sound of violence, crashing of furniture or any sound of struggle. Could it be a burglary or something worse perhaps?

[Help… me…]

There the voice was again.

But that's strange.

It didn't sound like it came from outside. And it most certainly couldn't come from upstairs or downstairs either, since Matsuda and his family didn't live in an apartment and thus had no neighbors below or above them.

It sounded like…

"No, it couldn't be…" the bald-headed pervert reasoned, as he tried to think where the sound could have come from only to dismiss his initial theory.

But by the way it sounded… what other explanation did he have?

While he was pondering all this the bathroom door opened and Nathalie came out wearing her white shirt, blue skirt and black tights once again. She looked towards Matsuda and noticed him brooding.

"Is something wrong?" Nathalie asked him.

Matsuda looked at her with a bit of a surprise.

"You're done already?" Matsuda asked.

Nathalie looked at him, as if he said something weird.

"Uhh… of course… I've been showering like ten minutes or so… it doesn't take that long," Nathalie replied.

Matsuda just rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Really, huh? Well, for me it felt like just three minutes or so… ahahaha…" Matsuda laughed.

"But anyway, why were you standing around as if you were a detective on a case?" Nathalie asked returning to her original question.

Matsuda looked at her in confusion, before realizing what she meant.

"Oh yeah, yeah…" Matsuda said, taking on a somewhat more serious face. "Say, Nathalie. Did you hear someone cry for help just now? About a few minutes ago, I thought I heard some shout 'Help me'. I tried looking everywhere but it seems like whoever is doing that is…" Matsuda would have continued, had he not noticed the look on Nathalie's face.

For a brief moment, Matsuda saw a look of shock on Nathalie's face before she turned her face away. For some reason she seemed… kind of nervous…

"It… must be your imagination…ahaha…" Nathalie laughed nervously for some reason.

'That's strange. I should be the nervous one in this situation, not her,' Matsuda thought. So, why was Nathalie the one who was acting all nervous?

"So… Matsuda…" Nathalie spoke up shyly, as she looked down at her black tights. "You said you liked those black tights, didn't you?"

That caused Matsuda to forget his musings about Nathalie's behavior and instead focused on her leg-wear.

"Yeah…" Matsuda confirmed, as he looked at her legs with lust. "Yeah, I do…"

Nathalie blushed, but managed to make a cute smile, as she fidgeted a bit.

"Tell me, why do you like my leggings so much?" Nathalie asked.

"Well…" Matsuda started, as he knelt down before to touch her black tights.

Nathalie flinched back at first, but fought against her urges to run away from her perverted boyfriend and decided to let him touch her black tights. After all, not too long ago, he was touching her legs and her leg-wear everywhere, so why not let him touch them again?

That is why, she stood still as she saw her perverted boyfriend use both of his hands to stroke her tights-wearing legs, as he explained his fetish.

"…your leggings are… well… how should I say it…" Matsuda began, as he gently rubbed the front of her legs below the knees with his palms. The surface of her legs felt warm and fuzzy because of her tights. Nathalie was embarrassed at how Matsuda was touching her, but kept best not to freak out.

"…your leggings and legs are… smooth and tender to the touch. They make a girl's legs seem more… refined…" Matsuda elaborated about her tights. Nathalie looked at him with a bit of a quizzical look at what he was saying.

"Wait a minute… refined?" Nathalie asked, as Matsuda continued to rub her legs, moving his right hand towards her knee.

"Yes… refined. And not only that, both of them work together…" Matsuda continued, as he started pinching the fabric of her silky tights with his fingers. His mouth started to water in lust, but he kept himself together to prevent him from ruining the moment.

"…the cute legs and their shapes and sizes… and the leggings… and so far both of them complement each other perfectly…" Matsuda commented, as he started to put his right hand around her left knee, feeling the knee-pit with his fingers. Nathalie yelped at the ticklish feeling Matsuda's touch gave off, but tried her best not to move around so much.

"For example, your knees look especially great with those leggings," Matsuda commented. "Granted, they also look great without the leggings but the black fabric covering it makes it look even better."

Nathalie was blushing furiously at his comment about her knees. Just what kind of fetishes did her boyfriend have? It was so weird!

"Also…" Matsuda continued on by touching her right foot with his left hand, wrapping his hand around her ankle. This time Matsuda could feel all of leg and fabric on his hand. It felt good…

"…your feet look so cute. They're… small… your toes too… But as I said before, the leggings make them look even more refined… because whatever blisters or marks your feet have, are covered up by them…" Matsuda said as he moved his face to her foot and kissed it.

Nathalie was really embarrassed now. Her heart was beating wildly. She really wanted to run, but with Matsuda holding her foot down tightly, she couldn't do that. But she did want to give a retort to something that Matsuda said.

"Hey, m-my fe-feet aren't blistered or anything!" Nathalie exclaimed, while stuttering in embarrassment.

Matsuda didn't reply. He let go off her foot and knee, enabling the pink-haired girl to back off a bit. Despite that, she surprisingly didn't run, as if she changed her mind about running. Nathalie just stood there, shuffling her feet shyly as she did so.

"So… you also like my feet…" Nathalie remarked.

Matsuda nodded. "Yeah, but not only that."

He went to her and gazed at her blue skirt. Nathalie didn't do a thing. Instead, she just stood there and wondered what Matsuda was going to do next. She got her answer when Matsuda began put his hands on her hips, feeling the side of her skirt. Then he ran his hands from her skirt down towards her legs and down to her feet. He repeated his actions, moving his hands once again from her hips to her legs to her feet. With every repetition, he did it faster and with a firmer grip, feeling the soft fabric of her black tights.

"W-what are you doing!?" Nathalie yelped. But before she could do anything, Matsuda suddenly grabbed her leg, stood up and lifted her leg to a 140-degree angle.

"KYAA!" Nathalie yelped. She almost fell down but managed to retain her balance by hopping on one foot for a moment, before getting used to a standing position. Nathalie looked at Matsuda and noticed the aroused look on his face.

"This is the best part of it all…hah… hah…!" Matsuda panted, his mind being completely taken over by his fetishes and lusts. "Your leg flexibility, in addition to your legs and leggings… and your skirt… and your white panties under your leggings… makes you look especially sexy… hah… hah…"

Nathalie was getting overwhelmed by embarrassment now, but was also getting aroused at the same time. Matsuda had this many things, that made him crazy about her? This was… so perverted! But at the same time, she liked it, too. She liked being the center of Matsuda's desires – something she never had before.

In fact, Nathalie had long wanted a boy's attention but was too shy, unconfident or too angry to get one. She always felt like no boy would ever want her for who she was or her appearance.

Before she met Matsuda, Nathalie was unconfident because she didn't have a big chest like Julie's and yet Matsuda found her chest to be the most ideal to him.

She also was jealous of Sally for being easy, outgoing, sweet and a fun person to hang out with, while she constantly put off boys with her stubbornness and her childish personality. Yet, Matsuda still chose her.

She also envied other girls for having long and beautiful hair, while her own was short and not special at all. Yet, Matsuda loved her hair nonetheless.

And even then, despite her many limitations Matsuda always found things he loved about her – even if they were weird, like his flexibility fetish. What was that all about? He needed to ask him.

"Matsuda? Why do you like flexibility so much?" Nathalie asked with her leg still held up by Matsuda. She tried to cover her panties but gave up, as she couldn't use her skirt to cover it up anyway. Besides, she was still wearing her tights so it wasn't so bad.

"I'm not sure," Matsuda replied, his heart now beating rapidly, as he explained his desires. "I like seeing energetic girls, I guess. They give off a vibe… of cuteness… I can't describe it. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that I envy flexible people, who can do things I'm not capable of, unlike you. I heard girls were more flexible than boys, too."

Nathalie pondered on whether that was true and how to respond to that. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Well, it's true," Nathalie replied with a smile. "In fact, I can do the splits right here, if you want to," Nathalie offered.

This got Matsuda's attention. "You really can do it?"

Nathalie nodded. "Yup, but I'll show you if you let go my leg. OK?"

Matsuda instantly let her leg go, letting Nathalie stand on two feet. Nathalie gestured her boyfriend to move away, as she positioned her legs to do the splits.

"Move aside. I'm going to do the splits," she told Matsuda who was already waiting with anticipation for her to do it.

She steadied herself, before she… ran off to the staircase upstairs.

"Hahaha… got you!" Nathalie ran away laughing.

Matsuda was shocked, but smirked as he chased her up the stairway.

"Oh, you little… Come over here!" Matsuda called out in a mock-threatening fashion.

He heard the door to his room close and figured that was where she went to. He opened it and saw Nathalie preparing a fighting stance of some kind.

"Step back. I'm going to do the splits," Nathalie told him, as she readied her legs again.

"You're not fooling me this time," Matsuda responded, as he moved slowly towards her.

Nathalie giggled.

"Oh, but I'm being serious," she said and then suddenly lifted her leg up, her right leg moving in a circular motion, executing a high kick. Matsuda backed off just in time, as her foot nearly hit his face.

"Whoa, careful!" Matsuda exclaimed, as he stumbled and fell on his back. "You could have hit me!"

Nathalie giggled and made a toothy grin. "Sorry, I told you I was going to do it."

Matsuda frowned at that, as he got up. "That wasn't a split. That was a high kick."

Nathalie shook her head. "Nope, it was a split. It was only for a split second, but you saw my kick didn't you?"

Matsuda widened his eyes, as he remembered the details of Nathalie's kick. He remembered how straight her leg was by the time it reached its zenith of her kick, her foot near at the height of his face. He realized then what she meant by split. Her legs probably were a perfect 180 degrees apart during that kick. Too bad, he couldn't see her panties because her leg was too close to his face, but… well… at least that's something.

Matsuda clapped semi-gently with a smile on his face. "Well played, Nathalie. Well played."

"Thanks… teehee…" Nathalie laughed, as she played her hair.

"You really can do the splits…" Matsuda stated, as he moved closer to his girlfriend and hugged her, his heart beating wildly against her cute body.

Nathalie returned the hug and shook her head.

"Actually I can't," Nathalie admitted.

Matsuda broke the hug for a while and looked Nathalie in the face in confusion.

"You can't? But didn't you jus-"

"Yeah, but that was a high kick, not a split – not really anyway," Nathalie explained. "When it comes to doing the static stretching I could only go up to 160 degrees – 20 degrees away from a true split. See?"

Nathalie slid her legs apart and tried to do the splits but her pelvis couldn't reach the floor, despite her efforts. In other words, she really couldn't do the splits. She then stood up from the floor.

"Oh… I see…" Matsuda said. But Nathalie wasn't finished yet.

"But… when I do this…" Nathalie walked to the other end of Matsuda's room…

"HIIIYAAA!" she yelled in a karate-like fashion, before doing the same circular kick as before as before.

This time he saw the kick in detail. She lifted her right leg up with her knee bent at first, before her leg went straight by the time it reached its zenith, her foot at about the height of her face and then coming down with her leg still straight. The white frills on her blue skirt also fluttered, as her leg moved up, something Matsuda found especially cute.

Her kicking motion reminded Matsuda of a clock, except that her leg went counter-clockwise and the beginning of her kick her knee was bent. But other than that, he could see it clearly. Her legs were 180 degrees apart. She was doing the splits! But the best part of all… he could see the form and color of her white panties underneath her tights!

"…then I can do the splits, even if it's for a brief second. I once took karate classes when I was younger, so I'm used to kicking but I could never do the splits. Despite it all, I was able to achieve flexibility to the degree you just saw…" Nathalie explained, before realizing that Matsuda wasn't paying attention to her. Matsuda seemed to be daydreaming, if his excessive drooling said anything.

Nathalie snapped her fingers, waking him up.

"Hey, pay attention when I'm talking to you!" she scolded him.

"S-sorry…" Matsuda apologized, bowing his head.

Nathalie huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Seriously, I show you my flexibility and you're already going gaga. You've got to be the weirdest person on earth!" Nathalie remarked with a pout.

"Well… what can I say? It's not a normal fetish," Matsuda responded sheepishly.

"You're damn right it isn't!" Nathalie answered back.

They said nothing for a while, until Nathalie spoke up.

"Matsuda?" Nathalie said.

"Yeah?" Matsuda responded.

"Thanks…" she replied with a gentle smile forming on her face.

"What for?" Matsuda asked.

"For making me feel… so special… you know… I…" Nathalie fumbled around with her words trying not to sound cheesy, but pushed herself to saying these things regardless. "…I… always thought that no guy could ever want me… I'm not what is considered the ideal girl… with good looks… lady-like manners… or… b-b-big boobs…" she stuttered the last part. "…but you… looked past that. You bore with me… and found things you actually loved about me… like my flexibility which I still think is a weird thing to like! So…"

She stopped speaking, went up to Matsuda, and kissed him on the lips. Matsuda returned it and they kissed with fervent passion. They parted for Nathalie to finish her sentence.

"…Thank you. For being my boyfriend…" Nathalie said lovingly.

Matsuda didn't say a word. Instead, he just nodded and kissed her again. They did so for a few minutes until, they both parted to catch their breath. Neither of them said anything for a while, until Matsuda made a playful remark.

"You know," Matsuda said, as he made a lecherous grin. "If it's not too much to ask. Can you do those kicks again? I really love them…"

Nathalie made a flirtatious smile. "Oh, so you're desperate to see my kicks, huh?"

"Yeah…" Matsuda nodded eagerly. "Please do ten of them…"

Nathalie giggled and went back near the wall. She readied her legs and did another high kick, her skirt showing off her underwear as she did so. Matsuda stared at her, as her legs quickly but gracefully moved in a clockwise direction, doing the splits at its zenith before descending down with her leg straight.

She giggled, as she did a curtsey with her skirt. "Sexy, huh?" she teased her boyfriend flirtatiously.

"Yeah! Please do some more!" Matsuda begged her.

Nathalie laughed.

She readied her tight-wearing legs and did her rotating high kicks repeatedly, showing off her flexibility with her temporary 180 degrees leg splits. She alternated between left and right, waiting a few seconds to recover before doing it again.

By the time she did her tenth kick, Matsuda had slowly moved closer and then suddenly grabbed her left leg in mid-air right when her legs were doing the splits, holding her by her ankles. She yelped as she groaned in pain.

"OW! What are you doing?" she cried out as she tried to readjust herself.

"Making you do the splits," Matsuda teased.

"L-Let me go… argh… I can't do the splits for so long… please let me go…" Nathalie groaned in pain.

Matsuda partially acceded to her wish and let go off her leg, only for him to carry her to the bed and throw themselves on it.

"You tricked me…" Nathalie accused him, as she rubbed her overstretched leg in pain.

"Sorry… I just couldn't resist…" Matsuda replied, before letting out a laugh.

Nathalie fumed but then smirked and then tackling him on the bed. The two lovers wrestled around once again. Eventually, their desire became more intense until… they could hold it in no longer.

* * *

 _Flashback end –_ _about 11:11 pm – Kuoh, Motohama's house, living room_

"Wow, you've… got some really weird fetishes there…" Issei remarked with a sweat drop running down his face.

"Yeah, really weird ones…" Motohama added with a deadpan look after hearing Matsuda's story so far.

Matsuda took offense at that. "Hey! Flexible girls with flexible legs are the best – including those of short girls like Nathalie! You guys, should really appreciate flexible girls!" Matsuda protested.

Right now, all three of them were sitting on the couch drinking sprite. By now, they had just finished the bottle of coke and had opened a bottle of sprite just a few minutes ago.

Issei and Motohama looked at each other for a moment before agreeing on something.

"Dude, as much we understand that you have your own fetishes. Yours are still weird," Issei stated bluntly.

"Yeah, the skirt and leggings fetish I can understand but the fetish about girls being able to do the splits… I still have a hard time believing they exist…" Motohama commented before Matsuda interrupted him.

"Hey! Boobs aren't everything. They're good, no denying that! But flexible legs can be just as sexy as big boobs. You just wait!" Matsuda declared boldly.

""Sure… whatever…"" Issei and Motohama said dismissively.

"But, that aside for the moment. You haven't quite explained what was so horrifying about your date," Motohama said, guiding the conversation back to the issue at hand.

"I agree. You mentioned something about a mysterious cry for help earlier. Was that what scared the crap out of you earlier?" Issei asked.

Matsuda shook his head. "Oh, believe me. I wouldn't come running here for help for something as simple as that."

"But still did you ever find out who made that call for help or where it came from?" Issei asked.

"Nope," Matsuda shook his head again. "Never did. But that didn't matter anyway, compared to the hell that came after I had sex with Natha-"

""YOU DID WHAT!?"" Issei and Motohama screamed, making Matsuda flinch back, as the two towered over his cowering form threateningly.

"YOU HAD SEX!?" Motohama yelled in outrage.

"YOU TRAITOR! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LOSE OUR VIRGINITY TOGETHER!" Issei yelled, as well.

"That last part sounded so wrong," Matsuda said quietly at first. "I mean: I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! YOU CAN BEAT ME UP LATER! ONLY LET ME TELL THE REST OF MY STORY, OK?"

* * *

 _Flashback five and a half hours ago…_

Matsuda was lying in bed with Nathalie with his pants down. Nathalie was lying on top of him with her clothes still on, except for the fact that her black tights were torn and her panties barely on. The reason for that was that Matsuda (because of his fetish for Nathalie's clothes) wanted to have sex with her with her clothes on, but in the process, he tore open a part of her tights in order to have sex with her. Nathalie was kind of upset about having her tights torn but in the aftermath of multiple climaxes, it didn't matter.

They had no regrets or cares about the consequences. They wanted it and it felt great.

Because of that, both Nathalie and Matsuda were exhausted and were now panting next to each other, sharing the occasional kisses with the other. It felt like heaven.

After some time, Nathalie got up from the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower," she told him.

"Sure thing," Matsuda replied.

Nathalie went to the bathroom door and closed the door.

Matsuda lay in bed, as he pumped his fist in the air.

'Take that, guys,' Matsuda said mentally to his buddies elsewhere who were on their own dates.

He finally did it. He lost his virginity – to a girl!

"Hehehe…" he laughed. If Issei and Motohama found out about this, they would be exploding in rage.

Speaking of which, he wondered how the two of them were going to execute their plan of getting their girlfriends to watch porn with them and then have sex.

Matsuda smirked. It seems there is more than one way to reach the goal. Having a fetish date at home works even better.

As he lay there, he got up figuring that some surprise shower sex would be ideal. Matsuda walked up quietly to the door, his footsteps being as silent as possible, as he put his ear against to hear what his girlfriend might be doing (or saying or singing if she was doing any of these things).

What he heard through the door shocked him however.

"*Sob*… *sob*… *hick*…" Matsuda heard through the door.

Matsuda widened his eyes. Was Nathalie… crying?

Matsuda listened more intently, as he pressed his ear closer to the door. Why was she crying? Matsuda hoped it wasn't because of anything he had done to her…

What he heard though shattered that theory, when he heard Nathalie speak.

"…I love you… I… love… *sob* you… Matsuda…" Matsuda heard her say.

Matsuda blinked in surprise. Did she find out that he was listening?

"But… I… *sob* don't want to leave him… *sniff*…" she sobbed.

It was obvious to Matsuda now that she was talking to herself. So much for that. But what on earth did she mean by not wanting to leave him.

"He… loves me… *hick*… he loves everything about me… *sob*… so why… must… I leave him *sniff*…" Nathalie cried softly.

Matsuda was gripped with anxiety and bewilderment. Leaving him. What does that mean? Was she going to move somewhere? Why? Their relationship was just getting started and now she had to leave?

"I know… I know that…" she groaned. "He heard his cries for help… I know… *sob*… But that shouldn't be a reason to get rid of him… *sniff*…"

Wait a minute. Did she just say "heard his cries for help"? Did she mean the voice he heard earlier? What's more, was she talking to someone? It didn't seem like she take her phone with her up here earlier. So who…?

"Please, I beg you!" he heard Nathalie plead frantically. "Please! Please don't do this! *sob* I'll do anything. Anything you want. Just… just…"

Matsuda heard Nathalie's voice getting weaker until he heard a thud from the inside.

That was it for the bald-headed pervert. He tried to open the door.

"NATHALIE! ARE YOU OK? WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Matsuda called out desperately, as he tried to open the door.

But before he could…

T2gsIG5vLiBZb3Ugd29uJ3QhIFlvdSdyZSBtaW5lLiBBaGFoYWhhaGFoYWhhYWFhLi4u

"What the…" Matsuda exclaimed until his vision turned blurry. He tried to fight against his fatigue but had a hard time maintaining his consciousness. He fell to the ground.

When he awoke, he saw… that he wasn't in his room anymore. But in some dark otherworldly dimension with some white platforms that were formed as if they were some kind of game stage.

"What the frigg!" he exclaimed.

What was happening? How did he get here? Was this a dream? It has got to be. How else was this possible? But then his thoughts went back to what he saw just a few seconds ago.

"Nathalie!" Matsuda exclaimed.

Something was going on. He didn't know what it was, but it had something to do with her. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake the feeling that she too was a victim in all this, despite her keeping secrets from him.

The questions for now are "Who was Nathalie talking to?" and "Who was that mysterious voice crying for help?"

'Though scratch that,' Matsuda reasoned. 'The more immediate question is: How do I get out of here?'

Matsuda looked at the pathway that was before him. Right now, the one he was on was quite long, like a pathway. Further up was the next platform that would give him access to the platforms above him. The way these platforms were set up was that Matsuda had to climb all the way up to get to the top.

"Holy crap!" Matsuda exclaimed, as he looked upwards with the end nowhere in sight. This was going to take forever…

* * *

 _Flashback end – about 11:17 pm – Kuoh, Motohama's house, living room_

"Let me get this straight," Motohama said, trying to get a grasp of what he had just heard. "You're telling me that you ended up in a dream world of some kind with a lot of platforms, is that right?"

"Yup," Matsuda confirmed with a single nod.

"And you… climbed those stairs all the way, right?" Issei asked.

"Yup," Matsuda nodded again.

"Was it… difficult?" Motohama asked.

"No, it was a walk in the park. Ehehehehe… Of course, it was difficult! And not only that, it was a friggin' nightmare!" Matsuda said sarcastically before exclaiming the answer seriously.

"Why what happened while you were there?" Issei asked.

"Well…" Matsuda began as he relayed his horrors.

 _Flashback_

Matsuda was jogging, climbing and jumping across platforms and blocks, going higher and higher. Matsuda had to admit, he had no idea how hard platform-game characters like Mario had, doing what they did. They had to be quite athletic to run and jump around like that.

Matsuda looked down below to see how far he has made. He saw that he managed to climb up more than a hundred meters by now. Admirable… except…

Matsuda groaned when he saw how much he still needed to climb. The platforms went up into dark blackness, stretching into what looks like infinity. It was as if he was playing a game with only one level – an extremely long level.

Nevertheless, whining wasn't going to change anything, so he just continued running. While Matsuda was running, he came across yet another platform he had to jump over to get there. At first, doing that was kind of scary. He even hesitated to jump for a while before mustering his courage. Doing this repeatedly (and the distance between platforms was something that Matsuda could handle) did help young platform-jumper Matsuda to get used to it.

Matsuda jumped… and when he landed…

((WOLOLOLOLOLO!))

Matsuda's heart almost stopped at the terrifying sound that echoed through the void. He looked around in bewilderment. What was that? What made that noise?

He looked above him, but saw nothing except more platforms. He looked down next. He saw nothing but more platforms until…

"What the…" Matsuda squinted his eyes when he saw something running on the platforms at the very bottom.

What Matsuda saw was a being that looked like bear. It seemed to have brown fur and round ears, like any ordinary bear, except… that it ran on its hind legs for some reason and… did that bear have three eyes?

((WOLOLOLOLOLOLO! MUST HUMP UNDER EIGHTEEN-YEAR OLDS… MUST HUMP THEM…)) that… bear-thing hollered, as it jumped up the block with ease.

Matsuda felt a chill down his spine.

He didn't know what it was, but whatever it was he did not want to be anywhere near it. Matsuda ran a bit faster, his jog turning into a slow run. He ran and jumped from platform to platform and climbed blocks like his life depended on it, but looking down below… that… three-eyed bear-thing… was slowly but surely gaining on him at eighty meters distance and counting.

Matsuda was getting nervous; he tried to run a bit faster, climbing faster, too. But that freak of nature was constantly howling and hollering its perversity – which made Matsuda even more scared.

((WOLOLOLOLO! I LOVE YOU BABY! DON'T BRING ME DOWN I PRAY! OH, PRETTY BABY NOW THAT I FOUND YOU STAY! AND LET ME LOVE YOU BABY LET ME LOVE YOU!))

"What the heck is that thing!?" Matsuda cried out desperately.

He could hear that bear come closer. He looked down in fear and saw it was at about a sixty meters distance below him!

Out of panic, he ran as fast as he could, terrified for his life.

"I don't wanna die… I don't wanna die… I don't wanna die…" Matsuda rambled fearfully. This was a complete nightmare, as if he didn't have enough problems with Nathalie.

Suddenly…

"Argh!" Matsuda held his head in pain, as he stumbled forward and fell to his knees. Something hit him mentally with images rushing into his mind.

" _Matsuda… You know I love you…but… we can't be together anymore…"_

" _You have to let go of me…"_

" _The c3VjY3VidXM= is coming for you… she plans on consuming your souls… You and the others have to go… leave this facility… and us…"_

" _I hope you find someone who will love you… just as much as I did… Please live on… I… love… you…"_

"Nathalie…?" Matsuda spoke weakly. Were those memories? What was she talking about? And why did those memories seem so… familiar? He could have sworn that Nathalie had never said those things to him and yet… why did it feel like she did?

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the three-eyed version of pedo-bear… on the same platform height level as he was! And it was really close to getting to him!

((WOLOLOLOLO! MY BODY IS SO READY! MUST… **HAVE SEEEEEEEEX**!))

Matsuda scrambled to get up and started to sprint once again, despite how pointless it was, since the monstrosity of a bear would catch him anyway. He saw there was another platform nearby that he had to jump to next, but the end of the trail of platforms was far away. So why was he still running…?

'Nathalie…' Matsuda thought, as the bear came within twenty meters distance.

'I don't know… what you meant with those words just now…'

Ten meters distance.

'…But I know one thing… I…'

Five meters.

'…will…'

Three.

'…live!'

One.

Matsuda jumped… the bear got ready to jump, too, until…

 **[Get your hands off him!]** a voice suddenly bellowed **.**

[CRAASSHH!] ((NOOOOOO!))

"WAAAH!" Matsuda cried out, as he landed on the next platform, falling on his stomach.

He turned to look around and saw that the platform was destroyed and the bear was nowhere to be seen. Matsuda looked down and saw a huge red dragon taking three-eyed pedo-molester with him in one of his claws, falling down towards the abyss in rapid speed… until they disappeared.

Matsuda wondered. Did that dragon just talk?

Suddenly…

[FWWOOOSH!]

A ball of fire came bursting out of the darkness, coming right towards Matsuda's platform.

"WHAAAA!" Matsuda screamed and closed his eyes.

He thought he was a goner for sure, but when he opened his eyes… he saw that the platform he was on was being pushed up at high-speed instead!

Matsuda held on tight, as the platform rose up at a rapid speed, moving past platforms until… Matsuda could reach the light. Matsuda covered his eyes once more as the light enveloped him.

Just before the light enveloped him, Matsuda thought to have heard the dragon from before call out to him.

 **[Young Matsuda! Warn the others! She's coming for you!]**

The next moment, Matsuda woke up with a startled cry.

* * *

 _Flashback end – about 11:23 pm – Kuoh, Motohama's house, living room_

"…By the time I woke up, it was already night-time. I wondered about everything that had happened until I remembered Nathalie. When I checked the bathroom, she was already gone. I don't know whether she left already or… something else had happened. Whatever the case, I was so freaked out by everything that had happened that I ran out that night looking for you guys for help and… you know the rest…" Matsuda finished his story.

Issei and Motohama sat there in silence and shock. Everything Matsuda just said… It was just like their dates – especially Issei's. These visions were also assaulting Matsuda, too? This was getting really creepy. But what's even creepier is that what Matsuda said seemed to align with what Julie's note said.

"Did you ask your parents what happened to Nathalie?" Issei asked. Matsuda shook his head.

"No. They were out of the house visiting a friend's place in Hokkaido and they won't be back until Wednesday. So, I had no idea of what happened to her," Matsuda replied.

"Wait. You said she was talking to someone. Any idea who?" Motohama asked this time.

"Nope, no clue," Matsuda answered.

"That cry for help who do y-" Issei asked but was cut off.

"Look. I don't know! OK!" Matsuda shouted in frustration, before calming down.

"Look, guys… I've got all these… things in my mind right now… and I… can't think straight right now… I just need to rest right now…" Matsuda said in fatigue.

Issei and Motohama looked at their friend with pity. He went through a lot today and they understood that, since they had also gone through a lot today. Their girlfriends behaving weird… and mysterious premonitions. Nevertheless, they laid their hands on his shoulders to comfort. Matsuda looked at them with fatigue, whereas Motohama and Issei smiled in return.

"Dude, we unterstand, man. We're friends. Friends are supposed to be there for one another, right?" Motohama asked rhetorically.

Issei nodded. "Besides, I think you should really listen to what we have to say… I think, maybe… just maybe… it may have something to do with your situation."

Matsuda's eyes showed a spark of interest. He sat upright, as his friends removed their hands from his shoulder.

"OK… What have you got?" Matsuda asked interested.

Issei gulped, as he mustered his courage to tell of the harrowing day he had. He wasn't quite comfortable in doing so, but he felt like he had to tell them.

"Well, I think I should start with my date. It all started when…"

And thus Issei told him of his date with Sally and how everything went well until he said something that caused Sally to run away crying. When he came to the part where he encountered and killed that rapist both of them were sitting wide-eyed and their mouths agape.

"You killed a guy…" Matsuda said incredulously.

"Uhuh. Turned his head to… mush," Issei said, as he tried not to get sick.

"And… you also had visions of your parents getting killed, too?" Motohama asked.

"Yup, for some reason. It feels like some kind of déjà-vu or something… like I've seen it somewhere before… It's strange… but also terrifying…" Issei somberly.

Matsuda only nodded in sympathy. He felt the same way, too, when he got his visions earlier. His also felt familiar, but he could have sworn that he had never even lived those memories. So why did he get them?

"So, what did you do then?" Motohama asked.

"I ran! I didn't want to stick around in a crime scene! After that I bumped into you and… well you know the rest," Issei told Motohama.

"Man, this is sick…" Matsuda commented, shaking his head.

After finishing his story, Motohama told Matsuda of his own date with Julie and how she too had been upset for some reason, before leaving. He also pulled out the note that Julie had left behind and gave it Matsuda.

Matsuda took it and widened his eyes after reading its contents.

"Guys, about the part 'You must be careful. She is still out there. And she wants revenge.' I think… that dragon in my dream said the same thing!"Matsuda deduced.

"Yeah. But who is 'she' and why does she want revenge?" Motohama asked.

Issei put his hand to his chin. "I don't know… but what we do know is that Nathalie and Julie have something to do with that mysterious person…"

Matsuda and Motohama looked down sadly. It hurt them that their girlfriends might be keeping secrets like that from them – more so if it involves their lives. Just what on earth was going on…?

"There are two things about that letter that bothers me…" Issei spoke up.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei in confusion.

"What things?" Motohama asked.

"The first thing: It's the part about that anime you and Julie watched. What did you say about it?" Issei wondered.

Motohama tried to think back. It wasn't easy to remember what he had said. What on earth did he say back then?

"I can't remember… Sorry, man. Maybe I can figure it out later," Motohama assured Issei.

"OK, no problem," Issei told him. "There's no rush… for the moment…"

"And what's the second thing?" Matsuda queried.

"Well, about 'Be on your guard. Look for th-'"

* * *

 **Please rate and review.**

 **Until so long dear friends**

 **Love**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	19. Chapter 4 - The next day

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Greetings, it is I, yet again, Hide Shinyama.**

 **Sorry for the interruption last time. I thought it was a good way to make a cliffhanger.**

 **Neat is it not?**

 **Anyway…**

 **Last chapter the perverted trio have uncovered some intriguing things about their dates – and to some extensions their girlfriends. They feel like something sinister is going on, but they don't know what.**

 **What is going on here?**

 **Will Issei, Matsuda and Motohama find out? What's going on?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 4 – The next day

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 9:30 am – Kuoh Academy, on campus grounds_

The perverted trio had just left the hallway. For some reason, they were not feeling great. The reason for that was not some illness or something, but rather because their girlfriends weren't there today. They were absent.

The perverted trio wondered whether their dates had something to with them. After all, they left either on a bad note or on a more worrying one. They felt especially bad because they were worried for them and wanted to check up on them… and because they hoped to get some answers or ideas on the mysterious things that were happening.

Issei was especially saddened, worried and anxious. He had been through a lot yesterday.

First, he ended a date on a sour note. Then, he killed someone in order to save another. After that received mysterious horrifying visions. And finally, found out creepy coincidences between him and his friends regarding the earlier points.

Just what was going on? Issei felt like he ended up in a mystery-thriller or something.

Looking at his friends Matsuda and Motohama, he could see that they felt the same way. Granted, they went through different things during their dates than he did, but as the perverted trio they were connected – in a lot of ways. Both of them understood his pain and were willing to be with him through the dark times, as well as the bright ones.

Speaking of the perverted trio and their pain, the three of them went to spend their break outside. Matsuda and Issei took a seat on the bench, while Issei paced up and down.

Issei was not in a good mood today, not only because of the events of yesterday, but also because he didn't sleep properly last night.

He got home past midnight, went to bed and couldn't sleep for the next half hour until he finally did at 1 am. As a result, he woke up later than usual, almost coming late for class. Moreover, he got reprimanded twice for nodding off and not paying attention in class. So, naturally, anyone can be in a bad mood.

But that wasn't all. Last night, the three of them wanted to continue their discussion at school during break-time, but despite reaching a sort of high point last time… they forgot what it was. This is why Issei was pacing up and down, trying to figure out what he had forgotten.

"Dude, calm down. Walking up and down won't necessarily get you your memories back. Why not sit down?" Matsuda told Issei, patting the empty spot between himself and Motohama.

Issei sighed. "Sorry, it's just… I just can't remember what I wanted to say at that one point…" Issei complained about his lack of memory.

"Dude, you'll get it back. You'll see…" Motohama consoled his friend.

"Let's hope you're right…" Issei replied, as he took a seat. Matsuda and Motohama moved away, so that Issei could sit.

Then, Issei looked at Motohama. "So, tell me again. What was it that you said about that anime 'Onegai Teacher'?" Issei questioned him.

Motohama looked confused, before remembering the relevance of said anime.

"Ah, yeah… yeah…

* * *

 _Flashback_

"What if I was in a situation like that? You know… if I was in a standstill… and had someone forcing me to stay in a world of nothingness when I could be awake, living out my life in so many different ways… ways I could never imagine… places I never thought I would see… people who I never thought I would meet… Could I ever make that step? I don't know. But one thing I do know… I just want you there by my side. Whatever may come…"

* * *

 _Flashback end_

"Wow… you sure put a lot of thought into that one," Matsuda commented impressed.

Motohama blushed and made a slight wave of his hand in dismissal.

"Oh, please… I… I wasn't anything great…" Motohama responded. "I mean… it's not every day I get philosophical like that."

"But seriously. It was deep. Like I got sucked into what you were saying," Matsuda insisted.

"Why thank you… thank you, man," Motohama replied flattered, before Issei cleared his throat.

"Guys, can we get back to the topic at hand?" Issei told them seriously.

""Yeah, yeah…"" Matsuda and Motohama responded together half-heartedly.

"So, you were saying something about yourself being in a standstill and being held in some kind of illusion of some kind. Then you told Julie that you wanted her to be by your side forever… Is that right?" Issei asked.

"Yup," Motohama confirmed with a nod.

"Well," Issei said, as he took Julie's mysterious note out and looked at it (Issei asked Motohama to give it to him a few minutes earlier). "If this note means anything in relation to what you just said, then that means Julie is trying to say – and I find it hard to believe – is…" Issei paused for dramatic effect.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei with anticipation.

"… that we're in an illusion of some kind." Issei concluded. Issei looks at his friends.

They both have serious looks until... they broke out in laughter and rolled on the grass.

"""WAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAH...!""" the three of them laughed hysterically at the ridiculousness of the theory Issei just espoused. I mean an illusion. Really?

While they were laughing, the other students were looking at them with odd looks.

"What's the matter with them?" a boy with brown hair and green eyes asked.

"I think it may have something to do with the fact that their girlfriends are not here," another boy with brown hair and blue eyes next to him replied. "I mean, they looked quite down earlier, so…"

"Yeah, they probably lost their minds or something. Grief makes people do crazy things," a girl with blue hair and blue eyes commented.

They would have said more things until some loud cries interrupted whatever they planned on saying in the form of the perverted lonely loser trio (I'll never get used to their unofficial title) running across the campus.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WHY, OH LORD!? WHY CAN'T THOU GRANT US A PLACE AT A WOMAN'S BOSOM!?"

"LORD, HEAR OUR CRIES! SAVE US FROM THE MIRY PIT!"

"WHAT KIND OF LOVING GOD WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HIS OWN CREATIONS!? YOU ARE DEAD TO ME! YOU HEAR ME!? DEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAD!"

While the student body looked on with bewilderment (including the perverted trio, who had stopped their laughter for a second), they saw the kendo club with raging and shouting, coming after them with their kendo sticks ready to kill.

"'CUZ YOU'RE A BUNCH OF PERVERTS THAT'S WHY!"

"NOBODY GETS AWAY WITH BREAKING INTO OUR CHANGING ROOM…"

"…AND THEN TRIES TO JUMP ON US WHILE WE ARE CHANGING, YOU RAPISTS!"

"YOU! THE ATHEIST! YOU SUCKED MY BREASTS! I'M GONNA GIVE YOU FIRST-HAND EVIDENCE OF GOD ONCE I KILL YOU!"

"YOU BETTER BE PRAYING TO GOD, 'CUZ YOU'RE GONNA NEED IT ONCE WE GET YOU!"

The pathetic rapist trio (that sounds even better than the last name!) looked behind them in horror and ran even faster.

"""DAMN THEE, HYOUDOU!""" they cried, as they disappeared around the corner with the kendo girls hot on their heels.

Once again, people were dumbfounded at what had happened.

"You were saying?" the brown-haired boy with green eyes asked the blue-haired girl.

"Wow, even the perverted trio didn't go this far…" another girl with pink hair and pink eyes stated with a shudder.

"Yeah, they must be getting really desperate if they're going to jump on those girls like that and… ugh!" a girl with blonde hair and green eyes said in disgust.

"Ummm… I think I'm going to go inside for a while…" a red-haired girl said.

"Good idea…" another red-haired girl agreed, as she and her friend departed.

"Saji, do you think someone should call the cops on them?" a black-haired and dark-eyed boy asked.

"I think what the kendo club is going to give them is hell enough… Let's leave it at that," the blonde boy named Saji Genshiro said.

Everyone went their own way and minded their own business.

On the other hand, the perverted trio (our heroes) remained where they lay on the grass… until they broke out in laughter once again.

"Ohoohhhooo… What was that…? Ahahaha…" Motohama asked, while laughing.

"They're… Ahahaha… being chased for pouncing on the kendo club… while they were dressing! Ohhooohohoho…" Issei added, barely containing his laughter.

"Yeah, it's even funnier than your theory of us being stuck in some kind of illusion… Ahahaha…" Matsuda replied.

At that moment, Issei stopped laughing and had a more confused look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked, as he got up from the ground. "I was being serious about that."

At that, Matsuda and Motohama also stopped laughing and got up as well. They gave Issei an inquiring look, while doing so.

"Wait… are you for real?" Matsuda asked.

Issei nodded. "Yeah," he simply said.

For a few seconds neither of them said anything, only awkward silence reigned in the air, despite the cries of the pathetic rapist trio being beaten up, ringing through the air.

"Then…" Matsuda spoke up. "…why were you laughing with us?"

"I couldn't help it. You started laughing. So… it was contagious. There's nothing else to it," Issei simply replied.

The two of them looked at Issei with a frown.

"You can't be serious, man. An illusion? What is this? 'The Matrix' or something?" Motohama scoffed.

"Yeah, how on earth could that be true? I mean, look around," Matsuda replied, looking around. "Does this look like an illusion to you?"

"Look, guys. I know it sounds crazy, but what else could Julie's note have meant? You said so yourself that what you said about 'Onegai Teacher' was that you were stuck in an illusion of some kind, right? Then logically, this is what she was talking about."

"Yeah, but… well…" Motohama tried to argue, but couldn't because he had no other explanation to what Julie was referring to. He tried to remember but all he could think of… confirmed precisely to what Issei theorized.

"Well… umm… but… it sounds so crazy…. unrealistically even…" Motohama stuttered.

"What other explanations do we even have?" Issei asked rhetorically.

Matsuda pinched the bridge of his nose in thought, before he spoke up. "Suppose what you're saying is tr-"

"What? You actually believe him?" Motohama asked Matsuda incredulously.

"I said _suppose_. I'm just making a hypothetical statement," Matsuda defended himself. Motohama calmed down at that and gestured Matsuda to continue.

"Anyway, suppose what you said is true, two questions must be asked. One, how did we get into this 'illusion'? And two, how do we get out?" Matsuda asked Issei.

Issei just shrugged. "I don't know. In fact, I myself have a hard time even believing this theory myself. Besides, Julie was the one suggesting it in her note, so… how should I know? I'm just following logic."

All three of them sighed at their lack of real progress here. Everyone was still upset because of yesterday's events and they weren't exactly happy at being left in the dark. They didn't know where to continue until Issei decided to look through Julie's note once again.

"I still wonder who the 'she' is. Any ideas?" Issei asked his friends.

Matsuda shook his head, along with Motohama.

Matsuda sat there on the bench, brooding about yesterday's date with Nathalie. As he was thinking his eyebrows made a frown, then his eyes widened and then…

"Guys! I think I know who it is!" Matsuda exclaimed. He jumped up from the bench, startling the other two.

"Y-you do?" Motohama asked curiously.

"Y-yeah, you know who it is?" Issei asked anxiously.

"In a way, yes," Matsuda said with a sense of confidence. "You remember how I told you guys about my date with Nathalie and how she seemed to be talking to someone inside the bathroom, right?" The two of them nodded in response.

"Good. Because I think whoever Nathalie was talking to in there **is** the mysterious 'she' in question," Matsuda concluded, causing Issei and Motohama to widen their eyes in shock.

"What!?" Issei exclaimed.

"Did you hear her or something? How did she sound like?" Motohama asked, as he and Issei both moved their faces closer to him.

"Actually, no…" Matsuda replied, gesturing his buddies to move back a bit with his hands. "But I've been thinking for a while and a lot of crazy coincidences come to mind – coincidences that I think are far too much of a coincidence to be true."

Stunned by Matsuda's statement, they said nothing and gestured Matsuda to continue.

"Remember that dragon from my dream I told you about?" Matsuda started. Issei and Motohama nodded. "Well, the dragon told me to 'warn the others' because 'she's coming for you', before diving into the abyss with that… ugh… loli pedobear abomination… thing," Matsuda said in disgust at the memories of the monster that chased him yesterday.

"Yeah, good thing that dragon came," Issei consoled his friend.

"So, you're telling us that the dragon from your dream was talking about the same 'she' that Julie talked about, right?" Motohama guessed to which Matsuda nodded.

"Exactly, and not only that, but when the dragon said 'Warn the others' I think what it meant to say was to warn you guys," Matsuda reasoned.

"What? That's crazy!" Motohama exclaimed in disbelief.

"I believe you and all, but how can a dragon from a dream even know about our problems?" Issei asked.

Matsuda just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Just like with your illusion-dream theory, I also have no idea how that dragon knows our problems."

Issei looked away for a bit. It's just one crazy thing after the next and Issei needed to digest everything, so he decided to tune out for a bit.

However, Motohama had a question. "Say, what did the dragon look like?"

Matsuda put a hand under his chin, as he tried to remember. "Well… it was red… big… had a gruff voice… To be honest, I didn't see much because he disappeared into the darkness below me… Oh, wait! I remember something!" Matsuda said, as he took his hand away from his chin and snapped his fingers.

"What is it?" Motohama queried.

"I think I've heard his voice before," Matsuda answered, making Motohama curious.

"Really? Where did you hear it before?" Motohama asked.

"I think I heard his voice in class yesterday... for some reason. I think he was singing in class. Something about… touching… tralala… or something…" Matsuda replied, as he remembered that incident yesterday and getting the vibes that he was being laughed at.

"Wait, you heard that, too?" Motohama asked intrigued.

"Good question. You heard it, too? I thought I was the only one," Issei added, having stopped his mulling to speak up.

"Wow… that's crazy… All three of us heard the same voice… That's… a coincidence. I was wondering why you were all looking around like curious puppies," Matsuda remarked.

Issei and Motohama looked at Matsuda with a deadpanned expression.

"Haha…" Motohama laughed sarcastically. "… as though we weren't doing the same."

"Sorry," Matsuda simply replied, before Issei spoke up.

"If I remember correctly, that voice was… gruff… something you might expect of a dragon… but… for some reason I feel like I know this voice from somewhere. Don't ask me why, but… I just do…" Issei commented.

"It's just more questions raised than answered, huh?" Motohama remarked at the growing mystery that they were dealing with.

"Well… at least we're going somewhere," Matsuda replied with a content smile.

Motohama chuckled in response. "That's true," he simply stated.

While Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other, Issei spoke up once again.

"There's something that's been bothering me this whole time… you know… about those weird occurrences since yesterday…" Issei told Matsuda and Motohama.

"What about them?" Matsuda asked Issei.

Issei cleared his throat before speaking. "It's… it's just the feeling that our dates, our girlfriends, those voices, dreams, feelings of déjà-vu, this mysterious 'she' and that dragon… are all somehow interconnected. I feel like… something big is going on. And whatever it is… I have the harrowing feeling that we're going to find out… real soon."

Matsuda and Motohama said nothing. They did so not because they weren't shocked but because they were unsettled. Indeed, they felt the same way Issei did. This 'she' whoever she is was trying to attack them for some reason. But why? They felt like this question couldn't be answered now, so they let it be for now. All they knew was that they needed to be on their guard from now on.

"Grrr…" Issei growled for some reason, getting Matsuda and Motohama's attention.

"What's wrong, man?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, did you find out something else?" Matsuda asked as well.

Issei shook his head. "It's the opposite actually. I get the feeling that there was… something else we wanted to talk about last night that… ugh… for some reason I can't remember. It's like someone cut my train of thought right then and there. That's why I was pacing up and down earlier."

"Oh… I see…" Matsuda said with a blank face. Motohama nodded to his statement. They both didn't know what to do with what Issei just said.

"I don't know what it was… but for some reason I get the feeling that it was something important… If only I could remember…" Issei said with a frown.

Matsuda laid a hand on Issei's shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll remember. Just give it some time. It will come back."

Issei just snorted in response.

"You know," Issei said, as he turned around to face Matsuda. "I don't know if you've realized this, but… I have the feeling that we won't have a lot of time."

Matsuda and Motohama gulped at that for they, too, were worried. Worst of all, although they were making progress, being unable to find out what was going on was still a defeat for them.

Wanting to contribute Motohama gestured with his hand to have Issei give him something.

Issei looked confused. "What is it?"

"The note, I just want to see something," Motohama replied.

"OK… I don't know what you want to look for… but fine. Here it is," Issei said, as he passed him the note.

Motohama looked through it until he came to the end of the note.

"Say, guys," Motohama spoke up. "What do you think the last part means?"

This piqued Issei's and Matsuda's interest.

"What part?" Matsuda asked. Motohama read the part in question.

"' _Look for the true author._ ' What does that mean?" Motohama repeated.

Issei frowned, before walking over to Motohama to see the sentence in question. Matsuda looked at it as well.

"I'm not sure," Matsuda replied. "What does she mean by author? Is she referring to someone in particular?"

"It could be," Motohama reasoned, as he turned his face to Matsuda. "In fact, I'm sure of it. The only question is 'What author?' Is it the author of a book or something?"

Matsuda nodded, before he spoke. "Yeah. What's more, what has an author got to do with anything? Are we involved in some kind of literature book heist or… maybe something to do with kidnapping and copyright issues?"

Motohama chuckled at that. "Maybe the author is involved in making pornos and one of the girls involved is out to get him." He added jokingly.

The two of them laughed for a few seconds, before calming down.

"Ahaha… ahaha… hooh… That made little sense," Matsuda said, his laughter ceasing immediately.

"Well, yeah… and to be honest, it also makes no sense to involve Julie and Nathalie… or even us, despite the fact that we buy a lot of porn," Motohama nodded, also no longer laughing.

As they tried to figure out what Julie meant by that phrase, they looked at Issei.

"Yo, Issei! Any ideas?" Motohama asked.

Issei didn't say anything at first, but then he opened his mouth slowly, as he prepared to speak.

"There's something here that I've noticed…" Issei began, getting his friends' attention. "… It speaks of a ' _true author_ ', meaning that if a ' _true author_ ' exists, then logically that also means that there is such a thing as a ' _fake author'_. Don't you think?"

Matsuda and Motohama took the note and looked at it. Something in their minds clicked. Of course… Why didn't they think of that? But still…

"You've got a point there, but the question still is: 'Who is this author?' and 'What is he the author of?'" Matsuda added.

"Yeah… and also… who is the fake?" Issei said, mulling about this aspect of their mystery.

Great. Just great. Now they've got even more on their plate than before.

What's more, this wasn't something they could think about all day because…

"Umm… excuse me boys," a voice said. The perverted trio turned around to see who it was.

To their surprise, it was Monique, their hot new teacher, who somehow managed to approach them unnoticed.

"S-sensei… uh… What gives…?" Issei asked nervously.

Monique, still smiling, put a hand on her hip. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the bell already rang five minutes ago. Everyone has gone in. You're lucky I managed to see you before I went in. Otherwise, you would have been in deep trouble."

The perverted trio looked at her in confusion, before Motohama looked down at his watch.

"Oh crap!" Motohama exclaimed, startling Issei and Matsuda. "It's 9:55! Let's go, guys. We're late!"

The other two recovered from their shock and nodded. They quickly got up from the bench with Motohama quickly stuffing Julie's note into his pocket.

"Thanks, sensei! Sorry, sensei!" Issei called out, as he and his friends ran towards the building, trying to get there as soon as possible.

"It's Monique! Just Monique!" Monique called out after them something that they barely heard.

As soon as they disappeared into the building, Monique giggled to herself.

"Just Monique. Teehee."

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:20 am – Kuoh Academy, in the hallway_

Class had just ended and it was time for the break. Everybody was leaving the classroom after another typical school lesson and were ready to enjoy their well-deserved break – except the perverted trio (not that they didn't leave the classroom, of course! Staying inside the classroom during break-time was prohibited).

The three of them were focused on solving their mystery. In fact, they barely managed to focus on the lessons.

However, even after all the time they spent thinking, they still had a hard time figuring out what was going on.

Sure, they may have uncovered some logical conclusions, but those were… still hard to believe.

Even if they were believable, they didn't know where to go from there. They still had yet to find out who the culprit, this 'she', even was. Moreover, they didn't even know who the author in Julie's note was.

Heck, they didn't even know what was going on, so what could they do?

All they could do for the moment was to wait and see what else may happen.

The three of them were walking towards the cafeteria to grab something to eat, when Matsuda theorized about what Issei said earlier.

'An illusion…' Matsuda thought, as he shook his head. 'How can any of this **not** be real?'

Despite his denial, he decided to pinch his cheek just to be sure.

"Ouch!" Matsuda yelped out in pain. He rubbed his cheek and looked at his surroundings. 'OK, definitely not an illusion,' he said, convinced that this wasn't a dream.

"What are you doing?" Issei asked with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Just… trying to confirm your theory of this being some sort of dream… that's all," Matsuda stated.

Motohama just sighed upon hearing Matsuda's answer.

"You know," Motohama said with a distant look on his face. "I really wish this was a dream."

Issei and Matsuda stopped and looked at Motohama in surprise.

"What? Why?" Matsuda asked in shock.

To their surprise once again, Motohama had a noticeably sad look on his face, as he put away his phone.

"It's… I tried to call Julie, but…" Motohama said sadly. "…She just won't pick up the phone…"

The two of them looked at Motohama with pity. But then, a metaphorical light-bulb went up to their heads.

"That's right! We should call them. How come we didn't think of it sooner?" Issei exclaimed.

"Good idea!" Matsuda nodded.

A mood of optimism suddenly overcame the perverted trio – even Motohama who had failed to reach Julie cheered up a bit. But as Matsuda and Issei of them reached for their phones… the memories of their respective dates came to mind.

"Nathalie…" Matsuda said somberly.

"Sally…" Issei said in the same manner.

"What's wrong, guys?" Motohama asked.

"It's just… After all that has happened yesterday between us… I don't know if I should be doing this," Issei said, as he remembered his fallout with Sally.

"And in my case… I'm not even sure if Nathalie is alive… because you know… the she… may have done something to her. You know?" Matsuda replied.

"Well…" Motohama fumbled around as he tried to come up with something to comfort his friends.

He started with Issei. "You should just try anyway, right? Better talk to Sally and clear things up before it gets worse," Motohama advised him with a somewhat forced smile.

Issei nodded, as he tried his luck calling her. Motohama turned to Matsuda next.

"Look, maybe Nathalie is fine. She could just be resting at home or something… You should try calling her, too," Motohama suggested.

Just like Issei, Matsuda tried calling his girlfriend, too.

It wasn't long before they put away their phones feeling more down than ever.

"No reply…" Issei said.

"Ditto…" Matsuda added.

None of them said a word, as they looked away from each other, too saddened to say anything.

As if of one mind, they decided to move to one side of the wall and slump down into a sitting position. Some of the girls that passed by glared at them or kept their distance from them, thinking it may be another attempt at peeping by looking under their skirts.

They didn't notice that none of the boys were in a mood for their usual perversions. Rather, they were just looking down to the floor in silence. All they felt was helplessness… and sadness.

"You know, Motohama, you have a point," Issei said, as he looked up.

"What point is that?" Motohama asked.

"It's about your point earlier, when you said that you wished all this was a dream," Issei answered with an impassive look.

"What about it?" Motohama asked again with a tired tone.

Issei sighed. "I wish this was all a dream, too."

Nobody said a word. They just nodded at what Issei said.

"I mean all this…" Issei continued, as he looked to the ceiling. "…craziness that has happened recently… our girlfriends behaving oddly and not answering our calls… those visions… oh, yeah! I forgot something…" he turned to look at his friends sitting next to him.

"… just today in the news I heard that the guy I killed last night was found. The police said it was 'gruesome'…" Issei simply said as if it was nothing special. He had been through a lot of ups and downs with his friends, after all.

"Wow, on the run from the law, huh?" Matsuda remarked lifeless, but impressed at the same time.

"Yeah. I just can't believe so much has happened… again, you were right, Motohama. I really wish all this was a dream," Issei commented.

"*Sigh* You and me both," Motohama replied with a sigh.

"Me three," Matsuda added.

After that, they said nothing. They just sat there in the hallway doing nothing, ignoring the inquisitive looks of any passersby passing by. The perverted trio may have looked like poor hobos having a bad day, but they simply didn't care. After twenty seconds, Motohama spoke up.

"So… what are we going to do next?" Motohama asked.

Issei and Matsuda stirred themselves. They gave Motohama a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" Matsuda asked.

"I mean… it's obvious we're stuck with our… what's the word…? Oh yeah. Investigations. But I don't really feel like sitting around here and get into trouble for loitering or something. That's why I'm wondering what we're going to do now," Motohama answered.

"Well you have a point," Issei replied with a shrug, as he got up, the other two doing the same.

"I think I'll just take a walk," Issei said, as he made his way towards the campus grounds outside the building. He looked over his shoulder before he left.

"You guys wanna come?" Issei asked.

They shook their heads.

"No thanks. I… I think I'll go to the bathroom," Matsuda replied.

Issei turned his face to Motohama.

"And you?" Issei asked.

"I'm going peeking. I've gotta make sure my three-sizes scouter instincts stay sharp," Motohama answered, as he adjusted his glasses.

"Going it alone, huh?" Matsuda asked with his eyebrows raised. Motohama responded with a nod.

"It's not like I don't have a plan. I found a way through the vents which I think goes just above the girls' locker room. I found it a few days ago. In fact, I even went through it the other day," Motohama explained.

"Sounds interesting but… I think I'll pass. I… need some time alone…" Issei responded, as he walked away.

Matsuda and Motohama looked on sadly as their friend walked away. He really wasn't feeling well if he was going to turn down a peeking opportunity like this.

"What about you? Need some time alone, too?" Motohama asked Matsuda.

Matsuda shook his head. "Nah, I think I could need something like this. Though let me go to the bathroom first, then we can start."

Motohama smiled in response. "Sure thing," he said.

Motohama leaned against the wall, as Matsuda went into the bathroom.

Motohama sighed once again. Even though, he was just as depressed as the rest of his friends were, he knew he couldn't let their depression get the better of them. Life still went on, after all. What better medicine than to do what they had always done? Peeking. Motohama couldn't wait until Matsuda came out of the bathroom. Even though, Issei didn't want to come (which really was a bummer) he still hoped to get something of worth value for today – namely in the form of panties, bras and three sizes.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:37 am – Kuoh Academy, on campus grounds_

Issei walked as he tried to rest his mind. He lay down on the bench where he and Matsuda and Motohama were sitting on about two hours earlier. He looked up to the sky, as he let his mind drift.

It felt really nice, just looking up to the sky and doing nothing but laze around. It also gave him a lot of room to think. Right now, however, he could only think about one thing.

"Sally…" it came from his lips.

Indeed. All he could think of was the cutesy coral-pink haired girl that made him feel like he was in heaven. The girl that made him feel alive… the girl that he shared his love and soul with… the girl that showed him so many things… taught him so many things… and yet… he broke her heart… All just because he couldn't remember their first meeting.

'This is so stupid,' Issei scolded himself. 'Why am I so forgetful?'

What kind of boyfriend would forget the first time he met his girlfriend?

Issei sighed. He just wished he could lie there forever, but he knew that he had to get back to class sooner or later. Before he managed to get up, he heard footsteps coming towards him. Issei wondered who it was, when he saw Monique to his surprise.

"Monique-sensei!" Issei said, as he quickly sat up.

"Relax, Issei," Monique raised her hands, telling him to calm down. "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment that's all."

"Talk?" Issei asked. Monique nodded.

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about why you've been acting so down recently."

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:39 am – Kuoh Academy, inside some vents_

"Man, this is cramped!" Matsuda complained.

"Yeah, but the end result is worth it, right?" Motohama replied with a strained smile.

At the moment, Matsuda and Motohama were crawling through the vents like Solid Snake from Metal Gear. Finding the place wasn't easy. They had to get to the roof undetected, open the vent, climb in by using each other as a human ladder and then pull the other in and then get used to the size of the vent. Pretty exciting, but it would suck if neither of them could get out afterwards. Even if they managed to get out, they would still have to explain where they went. After all, by the time they were done classes would have already started.

On top of that, Matsuda was worried – worried should Motohama fart, since Matsuda was moving right behind Motohama.

"Are you sure we're on the right path? What if we end up somewhere else?" Matsuda asked concerned.

"No worries, man. I've been through these vents before. Trust me. I know where we're going," Motohama assured his friend.

"OK…" Matsuda simply said, as the two of them continued on their way.

"Tell me something," Matsuda spoke up. "When did you find this place?"

Both of them continued crawling, as Motohama started to explain.

"Even though I was preoccupied with getting Julie on my side, I still took the time to search for new peeing spots. I looked high and low until I came upon this place three days ago," Motohama answered.

Then he stopped when both of them heard some voices.

"We're almost there," Motohama told Matsuda with glint in his eye. "Hold on. Somewhere nearby is a grate of some kind."

They moved a little while forward until they found it and with it the view of attractive sophomores getting dressed for gym class. The girls were laughing and conversing with each other, being completely oblivious to the perverted boys hiding in the vents above them.

"Ohohoho… There we are…" Motohama said in delight, making sure not to be too loud. "The blonde girl to the left has really wide hips!"

"Hey, let me see!" Matsuda said, as he pushed Motohama aside.

"Oh, wow! The girl with the drill-curls is hot!" Matsuda remarked.

"Yeah, though she still doesn't have the marvelous three sizes of Julie!" Motohama said, comparing his girlfriend with that of the girl below him.

"Yeah, whatever. But boy! Look at that!" Matsuda pointed at the pink-haired sophomore taking off her skirt. "I bet her chest is flat, but she sure is cute – like Nathalie!"

"Hey, move for a bit…" Motohama nudged Matsuda away for a bit and started to ogle a girl with purple hair. "…sexy bra… and her hair… they really fit! Reminds of Julie by the way…"

"Hey, can I…?" Matsuda nudged back. "Hey, check the girl with the red bra." He pointed at the blue-haired girl at the door. "She acts so tsundere-like that I instantly think of her as a blue-haired version of Nathalie."

At this Motohama looks away from the girls for a moment and gives Matsuda a quizzical look. "Dude. We're dealing with girls in their lingerie. So why are you bringing up Nathalie right now?"

Motohama shot back a glare in return. "Who are you to talk? You're the one talking about Julie here this whole time!"

They glared at each other until they realized the answer to Motohama's question and instantly their mood fell. Their happiness at peeping had faded away, as they thought of their girlfriends. They sighed in sadness once again, as the girls started to leave for gym class.

"Why is it so hard to forget?" Matsuda sighed feeling depressed once again.

"I don't know," Motohama replied with a somber tone. "I guess when you have a girlfriend, things change for you."

They didn't say anything more. They just remained there and turned their faces to enjoy whatever girls were still left changing, yet couldn't do so because of the somber mood that had taken hold of them once again.

As soon as every girl had left for gym class, Matsuda started venting out his frustration.

"This isn't fair! Why does it have to be this way!" Matsuda ranted.

"I know how you feel, man. I know how you feel…" Motohama tried to comfort him.

"I mean, does anything go right in our lives? All this time, we've been hated, our passions and dreams mocked and had suffer through so many indignities for them. And now that we finally get our happiness, it's all cut short and we're left off worse than before! Why does it always have to be us?" Matsuda ranted further until he covered his face in grief.

"I understand, man. I understand… I miss Julie just as much as you miss Nathalie…" Motohama consoled him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Where are you Nathalie…? Why couldn't you tell me? Why couldn't you tell me what's going on?" Matsuda lamented.

Motohama groaned. This peeping operation had already gone down the drain before it even started. They may not have been caught, but… just their broken love lives just ruined the joy for peeping.

Motohama clenched his fist and punched the floor of the vent in frustration.

"Darn it!" Motohama cursed loudly, not caring if anyone heard him (nobody except Matsuda did by the way). "This is not how it's supposed to be! It's supposed to be a time for healthy libidos, not grieving souls! OK. That does it! I've had enough of this! By all the gods that are in heaven and on earth, I call upon you to tell us what the f*** is going on or at least send us someone WHO CAN!" he shouted out the last part, his shout echoing through the vents.

"Dude, let's just go. We're late for class," Matsuda told Motohama.

Motohama just nodded. "Yeah, let's go…"

Both of them were ready to go out by the way they came until…

[Matsuda… Motohama… Help me!] a voice cried out.

Matsuda and Motohama were startled and halted upon hearing this voice.

"Dude, did you just hear that?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, I did," Matsuda replied. "It sounded like someone was calling us."

"But who…?" Motohama wanted to say more until the voice spoke again.

[Get me out of here!] the voice cried out again. It was at that moment that Matsuda realized something.

"Dude, I know that voice!" Matsuda told Motohama much to the latter's surprise.

"You do?" Matsuda looked at him in disbelief.

"Yeah. Remember what I told you about my date with Nathalie yesterday and how this voice called for help out of nowhere?" Motohama asked with Matsuda nodding in response.

"That's the same voice," Matsuda answered.

"Are you sure?" Motohama asked skeptically.

"Yeah, of course I'm sure," Matsuda replied firmly. "And for whatever reason we can hear it here."

[Guys! I know you've got a lot of questions, but can you just get me out first?] the voice called out again.

"We're coming!" Matsuda called out. "Just be patient. OK?"

Matsuda turned around and wanted to go the opposite way they came in, but Motohama was in the way.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Motohama asked him.

"Why helping that guy. What else?" Matsuda asked rhetorically.

"I don't know about this. What if it could be a trap of some kind?" Motohama asked worried.

"Dude, I may not know who it is or why he is in here, but for some reason I get the feeling that this person is really in trouble. Plus, I don't like the idea of leaving someone in trouble. So, can you please move aside?" Matsuda replied sternly, causing Motohama to sigh.

"All right, no need to get so aggressive. I'll go forward…" Motohama replied, as he turned around and went the other direction.

Together they crawled in the approximate direction of where the voice came from, leading them away from the girls' locker room and towards the gym. Eventually, they came towards a dead end in which the vent moved upwards towards the roof of the gym hall which was some seven meters above from where they were.

"OK, now how do we get up there?" Matsuda asked, causing Motohama to look at him with a deadpan expression.

"It's easy. We climb up there," Motohama answered him, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Like how?" Matsuda replied still unsure.

Motohama decided to stand up and try to get a good grasp of the vent. Then he jumped up, keeping his left arm and leg pressed against one side of the vent and the other arm and leg on the other side of the vent (like a spider).

"Like this," Motohama answered him, as he climbed up slowly, making sure not to slip and fall down.

"Oh…" Matsuda replied and soon imitated Motohama in doing the same thing.

It took about a minute until they reached the top of the vent. It wasn't easy, but in the end, they managed to do it. Both of them were pooped once they reached the top.

"Man… that was… close," Matsuda said, panting in exhaustion. "I thought… I was going to… fall for a second… Thanks… for pulling me up…"

"No… problem…" Motohama responded just as tired. "I just hope… getting up here was worth it…"

[Guys, I'm up ahead!] the voice called, causing the two of themselves to prop up. That was when they saw something like a white spiraling portal.

"Dude, what's that?" Matsuda asked, as he pointed toward the object in question.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, that must be where the voice must be calling from," Motohama guessed.

They approached it cautiously, making sure not to get too close to it. Unfortunately, though…

"What the…?"

"What the heck!"

… the portal suddenly sucked them in. They tried to hold on as good as they could but to no avail. A bright light flashed, causing them to disappear into the portal.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:44 am – ?, ?_

Matsuda and Motohama opened their eyes. To their shock, they found themselves in a huge white void of emptiness. Matsuda looked down and even then, the floor looked no different from the sky. It looks as if they were walking on air.

They looked left and right until their eyes laid upon a man tied unto a chair. He had black hair, a white shirt, dark-blue jeans with a black belt and brown shoes. He had a typical Asian appearance, except his had a different feel about him – something different from normal people.

The man laid his eyes on the perverted trio and made a sigh of relief upon seeing them.

"Thank goodness. You're here. I've been calling for you for quite some time now," the man said in relief.

"Well… yeah. You could say that," Matsuda answered, as he made his way to the man and undid his ties. With Motohama helping him, they managed to free the man quite fast. The man got up and stretched himself.

"Ahhh… Thanks guys," the man thanked them. "I've been tied up here for weeks without end and I have to say it's good to be free."

Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes. ""W-w-weeks?"" the both exclaimed in shock.

The man nodded. "Hard to believe? Not surprising. It's even more tormenting when you consider that in all this time I wasn't able to eat drink or even go to the bathroom."

"Th-then how did you…" Matsuda wanted to continue but the man knew what he wanted to say.

"I don't know," the man shrugged. "I guess it's not the real world, so I guess things don't really work the way it should."

Matsuda and Motohama looked at him dumbfounded, not saying anything. Who was this person?

But then the man's expression became serious.

"But enough of the chit-chat. Where's your friend, Issei Hyoudou?" the man asked.

They looked at him in shock once again.

"How do you know about Issei? In fact, scratch that! How do you even know our names in the first place?" Motohama demanded.

"Yeah, and who are you anyway? And how did you get here?" Matsuda demanded as well.

"There's no time!" the man said urgently. "I can explain on the way. For now, we need to get out of here and find Issei!"

"Why?" Motohama asked.

"Because…" the man started until a faint but audible sound echoed through the void, causing them to look around them.

"What the f*** was that?" Motohama wondered, as he looked around.

"It sounded like a howl or something," Matsuda guessed.

The man's face made a worried expression. "Oh crap! She's unto us!"

"Who? Who is unto us?" Motohama asked intrigued and worried as well.

"The mastermind! She's sent one of her henchmen! This isn't good! We've got to get out of here! Now!" the man commanded, as he looked around in all directions.

"Which way did you come from, guys!?" the man demanded them urgently.

Matsuda and Motohama looked around in a panic and pointed in all kinds of directions.

"Maybe it was that way…" Matsuda pointed in one direction.

"No, I think it was the other…" Motohama pointed in another direction.

The man groaned, as he started to run. "No, time to lose! Run!"

Matsuda and Motohama obeyed and were running right behind the man.

At that moment, the howl or cry became more distinguishable.

(olo…lo…lo…) the howl went. This caused Matsuda's face to pale out of fright. He looked behind him and started running faster.

"Nononono… please don't… don't let it be true…" Matsuda muttered to himself.

"What's wrong? You look pale," Motohama commented, as he tried to keep up with Matsuda.

"That voice… No way, it can't be true!" Matsuda said, his head shaking in denial.

"What? What can't be true?" Motohama questioned. That was when he heard the howl again.

(OLOlolo…olol..Ololo…) the howl echoed once again, causing Motohama to look backward and see something brown running towards them. Worried, Motohama turned to Matsuda to get some answers.

"What is that thing? Do you know what that is?" Motohama asked Matsuda, causing him to look back for a moment before quickly turning it back forward.

"No… THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Matsuda screamed, ignoring Motohama's question.

"Again. What is it!?" Motohama pressed Matsuda for answers.

((WOLOLOLO))

"It's that accursed thing…" Matsuda began explain.

((WOLOLOLOLOLOLO!))

"…from my nightmares at Nathalie's house…"

((WOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO!))

"…and it's trying to rape us!"

((WOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO! UNDERAGE MALE BOOOOOBS! MUST HAVE THEM! WOLOLOLOOOOOO!)) the three-eyed bear rapist scream in delight, as it picked up its pace.

"""OHHHH, CRAAAAAAAP!""" all three of them shouted in despair, running as fast as they could.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:45 am – Kuoh Academy, on campus grounds_

Issei didn't want to do this since class was about to start. But Monique told him that he would be excused from class and that his mental health came first.

And so, Issei told her about how Sally and he had their date and how it turned sour. He also told Monique of how worried he was about their relationship and even about his concerns about being forgetful. Of course, Issei did not tell her about how he killed that one rapist on the way home, which also weighed on his mind, nor did he tell her about those strange visions he had. Issei also made sure to talk as little of his buddies' problems as possible since they weren't the issue.

Overall, Monique showed a lot of understanding and empathy. What's more, she barely even talked all this time. Issei was the one who talked on and on, as if he finally had a means to express himself – a means to relieve himself of the pain and fears he had within him.

Once they were done Monique, who was sitting next to Issei, spoke up.

"I see…" Monique said in response to everything Issei told her.

"Yeah," Issei simply said.

"It sure sounds like a difficult situation you're going through…" Monique remarked.

"Yeah," Issei repeated with a nod.

After that, there was silence. Nobody said a word. Issei for one didn't feel like talking and Monique knew that what Issei needed was some time to think. The wind rustled through the autumn foliage and the sky had become cloudy. It looked like it was going to rain.

Nevertheless, Monique didn't seem to be finished yet. There was something about her that seemed like she wanted to say more. Not that Issei ever noticed, since he was too focused on his thoughts to even bother about Monique.

Monique looked Issei into the eyes getting his attention.

"Issei… I know it sounds incredible, but… after everything you've gone through… it may be for the best…" Monique said, as she looked away a bit shyly.

This caused Issei to look at her with surprise before frowning.

"What do you mean 'It's for the best'? How can any of that be 'for the best'?" Issei asked irritated.

Monique raised her arms defensively. "I didn't mean to offend you. So, hear me out, all right?" Monique responded. This caused Issei to quiet down and gesture her to explain.

"Nobody likes going through difficulties and heartbreaks like the one you and Sally are dealing with. However, young couples who enter into a relationship are still new in dealing with a romantic relationship each other. They sooner or later come across problems, like misunderstandings or fights or tiffs. What you need to do is to get back into contact with each other, try to talk to each other…"

"I tried," Issei interrupted Monique rudely. "But she won't pick up the phone!"

"Well, then try calling her later or better yet, visit her and talk things out," Monique suggested. "These are things that you can't always solve immediately. They take time and patience. Until then, you shouldn't waste your time worrying. And also, relationships may be strained from time to time, but when they remain intact the become even stronger. And so, not only do you learn about yours and Sally's problems and how to deal with them…"

Monique stopped before looking Issei deep into his eyes once again. Issei blushed a bit at how close she was. She was… quite the beauty and for the first time he realized things about her he didn't notice before like the smell of shampoo tickling his nose. He noticed more things, but was prevented from thinking about them because Monique resumed her speech.

"…but by learning how to be patient and talking to people about your problems, you also learn how to deal with the difficulties in life in general."

Issei didn't have anything to say. He knew she was right. Nevertheless, even though he was glad to talk to someone like Monique about his problems, he still felt down because of Sally and also because he needed to think.

"Besides," Monique continued speaking. "You're really going to need patience and the ties you have with your friends to get out of the situation you're in."

Issei looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I… well… you'll see…" Monique said, acting strangely cagey for some reason. She got up from the bench and went into the building.

Before she left, she turned around one last time. "One more thing. You should look for your friends. They need you right now."

"Wait! What are y-" Issei tried to ask once again, but then the wind blew into his face along with some leaves.

When he looked up, Monique was gone.

* * *

 **That took a while. Things have been delaying me once again. I really hope to publish a new chapter every two weeks instead of three, but I lately I seem to get a bit negligent I suppose.**

 **So, sorry for that.**

 **Anyway, so the perverted trio has come closer to solving this mystery than before. But has now come to a dead-end.**

 **Just for clarification: The scene where Matsuda and Motohama meet this guy never happened! So, ignore it please!**

 **As for Issei, it seems like he got some good advice from Monique. But what is he going to do next and what on earth was she talking about?**

 **Anyway…**

U3dpdGNoaW5nIHNjZW5l

* * *

"We're almost there, Sona," Rias told Sona Sitri.

"Indeed. I can sense supernatural energy radiating up ahead. Tsubaki, I want everyone to be careful from here on out," Sona told her queen Tsubaki.

"Yes, Kaichou," the black long-haired girl answered. "All right, I want everybody scout out the area. Go out in pairs. Report us when you see anything suspicious."

"""Yes!""" Sona's peerage replied and spread out.

"We will do the same, Sona," Rias told Sona.

"Good," Sona replied. "The more the better. Now…" she said, as she pushed her glasses up with her finger.

"Let's find out what's going on once and for all…"

* * *

U2NlbmUgZW5k

 **[…]**

 **Umm…**

 **I hope to see you next time.**

 **Read and review.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	20. Chapter 5 - The Truth

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Greetings, it is I, yet again, Hide Shinyama.**

 **Last chapter Matsuda, Motohama and Issei shared their theories about the mystery at hand. However, they come no closer to the truth than before.**

 **Now, they are stuck and can't move forward. Meanwhile, Issei had a heartfelt talk with Monique. What will he do with what he just heard? But where does he go on from there?**

 **Find out in…**

* * *

Chapter 5 – The Truth

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:47 am – Kuoh Academy, in the hallway_

Issei had just entered inside Kuoh Academy and everyone had long gone to their classes, which is why the hallways were so empty and quiet. Trying to get to class, Issei went to his classroom.

However, he didn't bother to hurry to get to class, despite having started seven minutes ago. Rather, he was taking his time, still deep in thought at what Monique said to him earlier about dealing with relationship problems. But more than that…

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _Besides, you're really going to need patience and the ties you have with your friends to get out of the situation you're in."_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _I… well… you'll see… One more thing. You should look for your friends. They need you right now."_

 _Flashback end_

* * *

What was Monique talking about? Granted, Issei could understand that his friends Matsuda and Motohama could help him out with the problems he had. Heck, they've been helping him all along! And Issei did the same to them!

But something didn't feel right.

Issei didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the tone. Maybe it was the cagey behavior Monique exhibited towards the end. Whatever it was, Issei had the harrowing feeling that Monique was trying to tell him something – something that had nothing to do with relationship problems.

It sounded crazy, but his gut told him otherwise.

But what could it be?

And what's even weirder is the part where Monique tells him to "look for your friends. They need you right now". What was up with that? Why would Issei need to look for them? Why did Monique make it sound so urgent?

It almost sounded like they were in danger.

But why would they? They should be in class right now, right? What kind for danger could they be in there? It's not like they were going to face with those supernatural occurrences agai-

That was when something clicked in Issei's mind.

Wait a minute.

Could it be that Monique knows what he and his two buddies are going through?

Could it be that she knew about whatever dangers they had faced and will face in the future?

If that were so, her warning would make sense. Why else would she say these things?

Was she connected to all those incidents with Julie, Sally and Nathalie?

Now, that he thought about it, why did Monique not have a surname? When she introduced herself, she never mentioned any last name – only her first name.

That is quite fishy…

And most importantly.

Was she the one behind this?

Was she the one who threatened Nathalie, attacked Matsuda, pressured Julie and sent him all those horrifying visions?

Issei just stood there for a few seconds, before laughing to himself.

"Nah," Issei dismissed. "She's way too nice to do something like that to us. Even if she really was that mysterious "she" from Julie's note, she would have killed us already. Besides, what reason would she have to do all these things anyway?"

Issei yawned, as he stretched himself. Sitting and telling Monique about his problems was tough enough, but now all this thinking is tiring him out. He needed to get to class, catch up with some English lessons – or at least sit down for a while and rest on his desk.

As Issei made his way to the class, he shook his head out of humor.

"Matsuda and Motohama being in danger… pfff…" Issei said to himself mockingly. "… as if… I mean come on! In what kind of danger could they possibly be in?"

* * *

 _Meanwhile with Matsuda and Motohama_

"HURRY UP, GUYS! HE'S GAINING ON US!" Matsuda called out in a panic, as he ran away from the three-eyed rapist bear-thing that was gaining on its three victims-to-be.

Right now, Matsuda, Motohama and the mysterious stranger were still in the great white void and had nowhere to go. They ran for their life, but they couldn't shake off the bear.

"I'M TRYING, I'M TRYING!" Motohama panted, as he agonized himself to escape. He dared not look back out of sheer terror.

The bear on the other hand, was so delighted it sang a certain girl scout song. All while chasing the panicked trio.

(( The other day, I met a bear,

A great big bear, Oh way out there.

The other day, I met a bear,

A great big bear, who will rape YOU! ))

"THAT DOESN'T RHYME!" the unknown man shouted at the bear after its ridiculous and horrifying rendition of said song.

"I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE!" Matsuda shouted, as he told himself to keep on running.

"SAVE ME, MOMMY!" Motohama shouted in despair.

But it was all in vain. The pedo-bear rapist thing was getting closer and closer! It was even trying to swipe at poor Motohama who was just a few feet ahead of it. Motohama was already saying his prayers so to speak.

"I just wanted to see Julie one more time… just once…" Motohama said to himself, as he waited for the bear thing to grab him and do what-not with him.

It never came to that though.

 **[Boost!]**

Suddenly a sound came out of nowhere and something rushed by and tackled the bear, accompanied by a loud boom. The boom and the ripples it caused were so powerful that everybody was knocked to the ground.

As Matsuda, Motohama and the mysterious man looked around them, they saw that the freaky bear thing was gone – as if it was never there to begin with. There was no sign of whatever object or creature it was that took out the bear thing either.

It was just them and the white and empty void.

All three of them sighed in relief and rested for a while to catch a breather. Running full sprint was exhausting after all.

Matsuda and Motohama got into thinking after all that has happened.

Where were they? What is this place? How come the bear thing from Matsuda's dream was here? Who is this guy? How did this guy get here? How did he know about Issei? What about that mastermind the man was talking about? Could it be that the mysterious "she" from Julie's note was the same person that this man was referring to? Did he know what happened to their girlfriends?

They just had so many questions that needed answering and they felt like this man was the only one who could do that.

After the three have rested, Matsuda and Motohama looked at the mysterious man and their eyes met.

"I suppose you have a lot of questions, right?" the man asked the two of them, as if reading their mind.

The two of them nodded. "Yeah. We do," Matsuda replied.

"Yeah, I think I should explain," the man said.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:48 am – Kuoh Academy, in the hallway_

Issei was on his way to class when he decided that while he was on the way, he might as well go to the bathroom to relieve himself. After all, he hadn't gone to the bathroom today. He went into the bathroom and into one of the stalls. He sat down on the toilet seat, pulled his pants down and then…

* * *

 **[BOOM!]**

A shock wave rippled through the dimensions, causing Matsuda and Motohama to flinch, as the man suddenly jumped up and punched into the air, causing the shockwave in question.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" the man shouted suddenly with his fist still raised in the air. He lowered it down and sat down once he was done. "I've had it! No more of your tricks! And certainly… no peeing fan service here – more so from a guy!"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at him with shock and fear. What did he do? Why did he do it? And what was he talking about a guy and a peeing fan service?

Seeing their looks of shock and fear on their faces, the mysterious and obviously overpowered man looked at them with worry.

"Are you guys, ok? I hope I didn't hurt you or anything," the man said worried.

Matsuda and Motohama quickly shook their heads.

"No… not at all…" Motohama replied.

"We were just surprised by what you did. That's all," Matsuda answered.

The man sighed in relief, yet the two of them followed up immediately with a question of their own.

"Say, why didn't you use that punch earlier when that bear first appeared? We could have saved all that running if you had just used it sooner," Motohama commented dryly.

The man chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry… I didn't know I could do it… Ahaha… I just used it instinctively when…"

The man tried to explain his mishap, but Matsuda and Motohama were glaring at him for his stupidity. It was then that the man dropped his shoulders in defeat and sighed.

"Sorry about that," the man apologized. He straightened himself, as he took a more serious posture indicating that he was now getting down to business.

"But regardless, I don't want to waste time anymore. You need to know. No more delays and no more distractions. It's time you knew the truth."

Matsuda and Motohama looked at the man in surprise.

"The truth?" Matsuda asked intrigued.

The man nodded. "Yes. The truth. The truth about everything you've been going through – your girlfriends, their behaviors and disappearances, the mysterious déjà-vus and visions you've been having, the mastermind in all of this **and** my identity."

Matsuda and Motohama didn't say a word. They were too baffled to say anything. This man had the answers to the questions they were asking. Just how…? They shook their heads and decided to let the man speak. It was best if they let him speak.

"I think it's best to start with the mastermind. The mastermind is somebody who is after your life," the black-haired man explained.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at him confused. "Why? What did we do to her that she would want to kill us?"

The man looked around for a bit, as if unsure of on how to answer them, before telling them. "The mastermind… originally saw you guys as prey. More victims she could devour. But…"

"Wait," Motohama interrupted. "What is she? Some kind of vampire?"

"No," the man responded. "She's a succubus, actually. Succubus feed on people's lusts until they are drained to death. That was what she had in store for you three."

The man paused, letting the two perverts take it in for a second, before continuing.

"And before you ask. Yes, the supernatural is real. Succubus, Dragons, Devils, Fallen Angels, Angels, Gods, Grim Reapers and so on… They all exist. They all work behind the scenes of our world and keep themselves hidden from our modern world... But enough of that. That's a story for another time. The main point for now is that the succubus has been lurking in the shadows and has been trying to eat you, so to speak."

"Eat us!?" Matsuda exclaimed incredulously.

"Well, how come we don't get to see her? You said she has been attacking us for quite some time now. So why doesn't she just show her face, eat us and get over it?" Motohama asked the man.

The man mulled over what he wanted to say, before answering Motohama's question.

"The succubus could do that, in theory… Often enough they do the seduction themselves. However, this one prefers not rush in head on. Unlike other monsters or other creatures of its kind, she's… more of a sophisticated schemer. That is where your girlfriends come in – oh, and Sally and Monique as well," the man quickly added.

Matsuda and Motohama pursed their lips, but said nothing. They had a feeling that this was the case… But wait… Monique and Sally?

Matsuda and Motohama looked at the man in surprise. Seeing their expression, the man nodded, as if he could read their mind.

"Yup. You heard right. Monique and Sally are also involved into this mess. You see… all four of them are agents of the succubus, trying to get you three to fall for them, get all horny, like having sex with them. Once that happens, the succubus feeds of your sexual energy," the man explained.

"Wait! You mean they are working for the mastermind this whole time!?" Motohama exclaimed in shock.

"W-w-wait! But that means…" Matsuda stammered.

"Exactly," the man interrupted. "Everything about your relationships with Julie and Nathalie – and Issei's relationship with Sally – were based on lies."

Their stomachs dropped upon hearing that.

"Lies…?" Matsuda asked in shock.

"Then that means… everything we've been through…" Motohama said, as his mind drifted away to all the wonderful experiences he had with Julie. Their first kiss, their first date, the wonderful times the two of them had watching anime… All of that… just so that some succubus could eat them?

Noticing Motohama's distraught face, the mysterious man put a hand on his shoulder.

"I… I know it's a lot for you guys to take in. I'm sorry for being so blunt... But you needed to know the truth and nothing but the truth," the man told Motohama.

Motohama just removed the man's hand from his shoulder and looked at him with an impassive expression, as if he was trying his best to stay calm.

"It doesn't matter. Go on," Motohama said quietly, but with insistence in his voice, as though he just wanted to get over with it.

Matsuda, also feeling somewhat down, felt the same way as his friend. On top of that, he shuddered at the thought of some supernatural creature come in and kill by sucking all his energy. He was surprised that didn't happen, yet that didn't take away the sorrow that he felt. Nevertheless, there was no point having a self-pity party, right now, so Matsuda gestured the man to continue.

The man cleared his throat. "Well… Where was I…? Oh, yes! Your girlfriends. Even though they were supposed to be agents doing the succubus' work, her agents seemed to be… rather hesitant in doing her bidding."

Matsuda and Motohama lightened up upon hearing this. Hesitant? So does that mean…?

"Apparently, your girlfriends, despite being the succubus' agents, truly had feelings for you guys. This is why they left you hints about what was really going on, before they left. Perhaps not everything about your relationships had been a lie after all," the young man said with a warm smile.

Matsuda and Motohama were soaking what they just heard. Oh, my goodness… So, they… loved them, after all. A ray of happiness filled their saddened hearts. Sure, the grief of betrayal was there. But a bittersweet feeling, too.

"Because of that," the black-haired man continued interrupting their daydreaming. "The succubus had to remove them. They were essentially foiling her plans and giving you a heads up so to speak – especially Julie and her note. That is why, she… well… made them disappear- URK!" the man said, until Matsuda grabbed the man by the shoulders and started rattling him.

"Disappear!? You mean she killed them!?" Matsuda shouted the man in the face, causing some spit to fly into the man's face.

"No!" the man answered, rubbing the spit from his face. "At least, I'm not sure. Maybe she just made them vanish or teleported them somewhere else. I've seen these things before. Trust me."

"OK, how do you know these things? And who are you?" Motohama demanded, still grasping his shoulders.

The man removed Motohama's hands from him. "I'll get to that. But there are other things I have to explain first. So, calm down, all right?"

Motohama nodded and backed off a bit.

"Where was I…? Oh, yeah. Your girlfriends' disappearances and the succubus' goal of eating you aren't the only things you should be concerned about. Surely, you two and Issei have come across some flashbacks before, haven't you?" the man asked.

The two of nodded. Of course, how could they forget? Those feelings of déjà-vu that they had yesterday… those weird flashbacks of events they had no collections of... What were those even?

"Seeing your faces, I can tell you have," the man spoke up. "Well… what you have been seeing are your repressed memories coming back to the surface. You may not actually remember them. But you can't truly forget them either."

Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes in shock. "Repressed memories!?" they said startled.

"Yup. You heard right. All those visions you guys have been seeing are really memories of events you had gone through. From Nathalie telling you her last words before she vanished before your very eyes…" the man said, looking at Matsuda, who suddenly remembered his flashback with Nathalie. He remembered how she cried with a tear-stained face at how to leave a prison or something…

"…up to Issei's nightmarish flashbacks about his parents being killed…" the man continued, as the two remembered what Issei had told them about what he had seen.

"…all the way to your sudden flashbacks to Ddraig and his perpetual trolling," the man finished.

At this, the two teens look at the man confused. Ddraig? Who was that?

As if he was reading their minds, the man answered again. "Ddraig is an ancient-old dragon, known as the Sekiryuutei – the Red Dragon Emperor. He is one of the two Heavenly Dragon Emperors, along with Albion – the White Dragon Emperor. Despite his title, however, he is pretty much a jolly fellow who likes to troll people, especially you guys. After all, he was pretty much part of your 'perverted quartet'," the man pointed out.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at him surprised and confused.

"Hold up!" Matsuda spoke up, raising his hands in a bid to slow things down. "How could he possibly be one of us? As far as I'm concerned, we would have remembered if a dragon like him even so much as appeared before us… or something like that."

The man shook his head. "Ahh… you guys," the man laughed. "It's quite ironic, coming out of your mouths… since it was Ddraig who took out that bear monster just now."

""What!?"" Motohama and Matsuda exclaimed shocked. They looked around, as if they were trying to find him.

"Th-that was a dragon?" Matsuda let out startled.

"I didn't even see it, yet I could tell that it was huge! How could have not noticed a being like that, if it hung out with us?" Motohama asked doubtfully.

"Ddraig isn't a dragon that you can just see up ahead flying around. Not normally, anyway… To be honest, Ddraig is normally sealed into a Sacred Gear that appears on the arm of its host. In this case, it would be your friend – Issei Hyoudou."

Matsuda looked stupefied. "Issei carries a dragon on his arm!?"

"Uhuh…" the man simply replied.

"How!? If Issei had someone like that living in his arm, then surely we would have noticed, right?" Motohama questioned.

"Well, you're right about that," the man replied. "However, Ddraig has somehow been separated from Issei here, something that shouldn't be possible, since nobody can survive without their innate Sacred Gear. Which I guess is another measure the succubus took, so that you wouldn't remember the things you were supposed to forget."

"Oh, that reminds me," Motohama said hastily, as he remembered something. "You said our memories were suppressed. Why would the succubus do something like that to us?"

The mysterious man sighed, before answering Motohama's question.

"The succubus… wanted to lull you into a sense of security and happiness away from the dangerous reality that is just outside the illusion you're in. That way, she could bide her time and devour you while you're horny and unguarded, something she couldn't do when you were still awake."

"Wait a minute. Hold right there. What do you mean 'when you were awake'? We are awake," Matsuda corrected, but the man shook his head.

"No, you're not," the man replied. "Tell me something, Motohama. Do you remember Julie's note? And how Issei deduced from it that you were all stuck in an illusion?"

The two of them looked at him with a frown. "Seriously, how do you know everything we've been up to?" Motohama asked him with a stern look.

"We'll get to it. Don't worry. Anyway, do you remember?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I d- Wait. Don't tell me…" Motohama started, before he realized something.

"Yup, indeed," the man nodded. "What Julie tried to tell you and Issei theorized is all true..."

Motohama and Matsuda looked around him, as if trying to confirm what the man said by looking around.

"…You… Matsuda… Issei… and I… are all stuck in an illusion created by the succubus. Everything you've seen around you starting from yesterday morning is all fake," the man revealed dramatically.

"Oh… my…" Motohama responded, being shocked by the revelation.

"But wait!" Matsuda spoke up. "If this is an illusion, I would have woken up at the feeling of pain. I even pinched myself earlier and nothing happened," he argued.

"It's going to take more than that to wake up," the man answered with a shrug.

"So that means… Julie's note… my goodness… it's all true…" Motohama whispered partially to himself quietly.

"Yup, exactly as I said," the man affirmed.

"Hold on, if this is an illusion, then… what is the real world and… how did we get here?" Matsuda asked on.

"Well that's a long story – one that you must hear, however. So… let me start from the beginning," the man told them.

Taking a deep breath, the man prepared and readied himself.

"It all began on the nearly two weeks ago on the 3rd of September whe-" the man began before Motohama interrupted him.

"Wait a minute! But today's the 4th of September. So how ca-"

"I know," the man said slightly irritated at being interrupted. Nevertheless, he tried his best to be patient. "And normally you would be right, except that today is not the 4th of September, but an hour past midnight of the 15th of September – eleven days away from the true date."

"Huh? You mean to say today's date is also a lie?" Motohama asked confused.

"Exactly…" the man nodded. "Now I'd prefer if you let me finish my story, so please don't interrupt, ok?" Matsuda and Motohama, not wanting to anger the man, quickly nodded.

"Where was I…?" the man pondered to himself, as he tried to figure out what else he wanted to say. His face lightened up when he remembered.

"Oh yeah… right…" the man cleared his throat, before continuing. "It all began on the 3rd of September you were going about your day as usual, except that you two and Issei were still the same old perverted trio. You were still whining and moaning about how the three of you couldn't get girlfriends and all that stuff. Anyway, everything changed when Issei and his parents went out to the opera that night, kind of how they did yesterday. Except in this case, Issei never had the fall-out with Sally because she never was in his life before. Issei never encountered that rapist either, thus that situation was a non-factor as well. What did happen was a real tragedy. On their way home, Issei's parents… were killed by a mugger that night… That was the vision Issei saw when he killed the rapist in **this** reality."

"Holy crap…" Matsuda said dumbfounded. So that was Issei saw…

The man, not minding the interruption, just nodded before continuing on. "Issei would have died, too, that night, if he hadn't fought for his life and then… awakened the Boosted Gear."

"The Boosted Gear?" Motohama asked perplexed.

"It's one out of many Sacred Gears out there. Though this Sacred Gear in particular is a special one. It is a Longinus, one of the eighteen top-tier Sacred Gears, capable of killing even gods. Inside the Longinus is Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, who I mentioned before earlier. Anyway, he and the Boosted Gear, helped Issei against his parent's murderer and killed him. Unfortunately, his parents' deaths broke him, shattered his life in a lot of ways. He worked hard to train himself in order to become stronger – to be a hero. However, he lost his temper after some girls made fun of his parents' deaths and beat them up-"

"Issei beat up some girls!?" Matsuda interrupted the man. "Now I'm worried. If he does something like that, he's definitely not himself."

"Yeah…" the man tried to let Matsuda's interruption slide. "…but you're not one to talk since you joined into the fray and beat them up. In the end, you were all arrested and put in Kuoh Police Prison for a few days."

Matsuda and Motohama couldn't believe their ears. They went… to jail!? For beating up girls no less!? They wondered what else they did. Break out of prison!?

"Hard to believe, but yes… that happened. It was there that you two met Ddraig for the first time, something Issei tried to hide at first, but had to reveal when he had no choice. From there on you hit off and despite who Ddraig is, he became one of you."

Matsuda and Motohama still looked at the man stunned until they looked in confusion, when they saw how urgently the man looked around, before turning back to face them.

"But… let's speed up here, since we don't have time to go into detail into everything that has transpired. So… eventually you got into a fight with a vengeful police officer who tried to get his revenge on you for putting his sister into a coma…you took him out… then you had to go to court. That was when the succubus made its move. The succubus disguised herself as a lawyer and went on to represent you in court. Using her powers, she manipulated the judge to get you three sentenced to two years prison in a detention facility, called Sakabasu Detention Facility. In reality, though, it was nothing more than a front for the succubus' activities to drain their victims of their life force. That was where Monique… Sally… Julie… and Nathalie first came into the picture. That was also first time you met them by the way."

Matsuda and Motohama looked at the man in shock once again. They thought they could get used to the multiple incredible revelations that the man had told them over the past minutes. How wrong they were!

"Wait! Our first meeting with them was in jail!?" Matsuda bellowed incredulously.

"Indeed," the man confirmed. "As I mentioned earlier, the girls are agents, agents for the succubus. Their main purpose was to make you comfortable in the facility, make you fall in love with them and then have the succubus drain you dry. They succeeded in doing the first two tasks, turning the detention facility into a heaven on earth for you. As the 'prison wardens' of the facility, they took care of your every need – feeding you, teaching you, preparing you for your careers… They even returned your feelings and in Matsuda's case, had sex!"

At this Matsuda widened his eyes. "Wait a minute… if I had sex before I entered into this illusion and then had sex again yesterday, does that mean… I haven't been a virgin all this time?"

At this, Motohama sent him a glare, while Matsuda chuckled nervously.

The mysterious man sighed at Motohama's envy issues and continued. "As I was saying, you should have died back then, but you didn't. I'm certain that the girls' feelings for you played a role. They loved you. They really did. And because of that, they decided to save your lives. Even now, they're still trying to protect you. But they can only do so much to protect you. Now that the girls foiled their mistresses' plan a second time, she won't be as forgiving to them as last time-"

"But they're OK, right?" Matsuda interrupted, his voice quivering with worry. "You said so yourself, they were like… teleported out of here, right? Just… taken somewhere else, right?"

"As I said, I don't know," the man replied somberly. "What I just said was an educated guess which… I believe to be the case, but… there's no guarantee that it may be so… Worst case scenario, the succubus may have eliminated them altogether…If that's the case… I'm afraid there's not much we can do about them… I'm sorry…"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at the man with sorrow and hopelessness. Who could blame them? They had been told that their girlfriends might not be alive anymore. It was bad enough that they had vanished with no warning, but this…

Matsuda was the first to sink down to the ground despondently. Motohama did the same two seconds later. They… had just gone through shock after shock, revelation after revelation… what both of them wanted was to… go home and take a nap… or wake up from the illusion they were in.

"Hey!" the man called out to them. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Leave us alone…" Motohama said quietly, yet still audible enough to the man's ears.

"Nathalie… She's gone…" Matsuda mumbled to himself.

Annoyed the man went to them and scolded them.

"Get up! Now is not the time to get depressed. I need you to pay attention to everything I say. There's more you need to know!" the man upbraided them.

Sighing, Motohama looked up. "Does it involve how to get them back?" he asked sadly.

"No," the man shook his head. "But it does involve your girlfriends, all right."

Matsuda simply looked up to the man with an impassive expression. "Go on. Just get it over with." He said, still on his knees, though at least he was trying to show some interest to what the man had to say, even though he probably wasn't.

The mysterious man sighed and decided to continue, despite their unmotivated attitude. "As I was saying… What you need to know about Monique, Sally, Nathalie and Julie is that they don't come from this world."

At this, even Motohama seemed to lift his face towards the man.

"Not from this world?" Motohama asked.

"Indeed," the man answered. "All four of them, come from another world. A world that is foreign, even to the supernatural part of this one. This world is smaller and limited only to them alone. That world is (in some respect) no different from the world you are living in, but the truth of the matter is… it was a cage of a sort. A cage where they live in this illusion that their world is a happy place – a paradise if you will – and for a time, they believed in it. However, after a certain point in time, Monique realized that the world she and her friends were living in was only an illusion. In it, they were doomed to live forever, trapped in this cage with no end in sight, until… someone from the outside came, opened a way into their world and broke the cycle."

"Someone…from the outside…?" Motohama asked with interest in what the man had to tell them.

"Who was he…?" Matsuda asked next.

"I don't know," the man replied. "But that doesn't matter. What you need to know, is that this person gave them something they never felt before: Love. And it was because of that that Monique somehow managed to find the tools to change the world they were living in. She tried to get that person to fall in love with her by using those means, becoming practically omnipotent in her world. But for all her efforts, she caused a lot of damage and hurt along the way – including to the person she fell in love with. It was then that she realized that all she did was make the problem even worse. That is why she used her powers to end her world in order to end the suffering of her, her friends… and the man she loved."

After the man had ended his tale, he saw that Matsuda and Motohama looked at the man intently, while they were listening to his story. They seemed drawn in… yet they also seemed a bit confused, which is why Motohama raised his hand, as if in class.

"It's an interesting story and all, but… if the four of them really did come from another world… How did they get here?" Motohama asked with his hand raised.

"Yeah, and how come Monique and the others are still alive after the destruction of their old world?" Matsuda asked as well.

"Well…" the man started to explain. "Sometime after Monique had destroyed her world, another person came into the void of the now destroyed world. That person was the succubus. She used her powers to resurrect Monique and the other three girls and brought them into **our** world. Don't ask me how she did it, though. I myself don't know either. What I do know, is that that power-hungry lecherous woman is now using her powers and the girls to lure men and prey on them. You can consider yourselves lucky to be the first ones to elude her," the man complimented Matsuda and Motohama with a grin, the latter two looking at each other with uncertainty.

"Well… as I was saying… What was it again…?" the man fumbled, trying to figure out what to say next. "Oh yeah! I forgot to mention something that pertained to how you got here. While you were at the facility, Issei was the one who first caught onto the succubus' plan and got you guys involved as well. Together the three of you – and Ddraig – fought bravely against the succubus and temporarily immobilized her. Unfortunately, she managed to set a trap the moment you found her now dead victims. It trapped you into this illusion and… you know the rest."

"So that's what happened…" Motohama simply said.

"But wait! Why would we ever end up looking for the dead victims of the succubus? Wouldn't it have been better if we… I don't know… did a prison break or something?" Matsuda questioned.

"The reason why you went to look for the victims (or in your case a specific victim) was because Julie told you to do so," the man replied.

"What!? Why would she do that!? I thought you said Julie and the other girls were trying to help us?" Motohama bellowed, not believing that his girlfriend would do something that would put them in danger.

The man raised his arms defensively. "Of course, she did," the man replied. "However, I think she thought of the long-term, too. Escaping the prison solves nothing. As long as a succubus lives, she will hunt her prey to the ends of the earth. That's even more true, if the succubus is proud and arrogant as this one is. That is why Julie… had you purposefully trigger the succubus' trap in order to get you in here… although wait… something doesn't add up…" the man though, as he stroked his chin in deep thought.

"What doesn't add up?" Matsuda asked, as he and Motohama stood up from the white featureless ground.

"I wonder why she never told you brace yourselves and **kill** the succubus… That should have ended the whole affair instantly… Instead, she just tells you to go find the victims' bodies in order to get caught in this illusion… unless… on no… Don't tell me… she… they did not just do that…" the man said in realization and denial.

"What are you talking about? Who is the 'they' you're talking about?" Motohama asked.

"Julie… and Nathalie! Perhaps even all four of them… no don't tell me… Please don't tell me it's true!" the man raised his voice towards the end.

"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Motohama said, indignant at being kept in the dark at what the man just said.

Tk8hIERPTidUIFlPVSBEQVJFIQ==

"""?""" A strange sensation came over them, as all three of them looked around them in bewilderment.

"What was that?" Matsuda asked confused and surprised.

"Yeah, I thought I felt something weird…" Motohama commented, as he looked around to find out what it was.

In contrast, the mysterious man looked around in dread. "Oh no… Not again!"

"What do you mean? Do you know what's going on?" Matsuda pressed the man.

"Listen! Now we're really running out of time! You've got to get out of here! Run! Get to Issei while you still can!" the man told them urgently.

"Wh-What!? Hey! Why? You didn't answer my question!" Matsuda fired back.

"No time! You've got to get going! Before…" Suddenly, the man was interrupted by the appearance of black spots in the vast white void, growing bigger and bigger, seemingly starting to swallow the whiteness of the void everywhere. It seemed like it spawned from somewhere in the distance only to move closer and closer towards them.

"What's happening!?" Motohama asked, as he looked around in a panic.

"The succubus is trying to lock you guys in! Get out of here! Get back to the portal from which you came from!" the man practically ordered them.

"Yeah… but…" Matsuda began in protest. It was easy to for him to say, except that they had no idea where the portal even was. Even if they did know where it was, it was probably too far away. Motohama tried his best to look around for it but he couldn't.

The mysterious man seemed to realize this dilemma and started to ruffle his hair in a panic. What was he supposed to do? If he didn't do something, they would be stuck in here and no one would be able to warn Issei of what is to come.

While he was contemplating, the man had an idea.

"Everybody down!" he yelled. Matsuda and Motohama complied, as the man summoned energy from within him and unleashed a powerful force with his outstretched arms on either side. The force boomed above Matsuda's and Motohama's heads. Motohama and Matsuda looked up and they noticed, to their astonishment, that the blackness was being pushed back significantly. As they looked up at the man from below, they saw that he was straining to maintain his stance, obviously struggling against the darkness that was trying to enclose them once again.

"Guys… I can't… hold this… for long…" the man said, struggling to speak amidst the pressure.

"What do we do? I can't see the portal anywhere! How do we get out!?" Motohama yelled, as he looked around from where he lay.

"Me neither! Is this the end for us!?" Matsuda asked, having given up hope.

Just as they were losing hope, the man saw something somewhere above him, coming down flying from one of white fields that weren't covered up by the creeping darkness. The man wondered what it was, but then smiled when he realized who it was.

"Guys," the man spoke up gaining their attention. "It seems… like your… ride out… of here… is here…" the man said with a smile.

Then something big landed right next to them. Matsuda and Motohama braced themselves from the loud noise that came from the landing. And once they looked up… They saw a huge red dragon before them, like many dragons in popular culture. Matsuda and Motohama yelped, as they scrambled back in fear. The man chuckled, despite the pressure.

"Don't… be scared… This is Ddraig… of whom… I was… talking… about earlier… a good… buddy of… yours. He's gonna… get you… out of… here. Right… Ddraig?" the man spoke, as he tried his best to maintain his hold.

 **[Indeed. Now, get on me boys. We've got to get out of here, while we still have the chance]** Ddraig urged them.

"I don't know…" Matsuda said skeptically.

"Guys! We don't… have time… just… get on…" the man insisted. His voice showed signs of weariness.

"Yeah, but… What about you?" Motohama asked concerned.

"Never mind… me! I'll… be fine! *cough*" the man coughed out under the pressure.

 **[Come on, boys! You heard the man! Get on, so we can get out of here!]** the Red Dragon Emperor told them.

Finally, Matsuda and Motohama obeyed and climbed on top of Ddraig. They had to admit, touching, let alone, climbing on a dragon felt pretty weird, if not dangerous. Yet, what other choice did they have?

Matsuda and Motohama held fast upon the red dragon by the shoulder area near his neck. Once they were holding him tight, Ddraig prepared to take off. Turning to the mysterious man one last time, Motohama called out to him.

"Hey, one last thing, dude! Who are you!? You never did answer that question!"

The man looked at them and gave him a toothy grin, despite the fact that he was losing his strength.

"I'm just… a fan! Nothing more! Someone… who wants… to wish… you the best!" the man called out, which was impressive due to the fact that he felt like collapsing any moment.

The man exchanged one last look with Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig. There was nothing more to be said. Then Ddraig spread his wings and flew up to the sky, somewhere where the blackness hadn't reached yet.

"WHOA! SLOW DOWN! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING US!?" Motohama cried out, as they soared upwards, going higher and higher.

 **[To the next portal. It may not be the one you came through, but right now it is the only way for you to get out of this void!]** Ddraig answered.

"WHOOOHOOO! THIS IS AWESOME!" Matsuda whooped in joy. He hadn't felt this way, since he, Motohama and Issei went to the rollercoaster three months ago.

 **[All right, you two! Pay attention! Once we get through the portal you may need to brace yourselves for a significantly high drop!]** Ddraig warned them, as Ddraig stopped flying upwards and started moving towards a certain destination.

Matsuda and Motohama froze upon hearing this warning. They slowly turned their faces towards the dragon in shock.

What did he just say?

Ddraig just looked back and made eye-contact. Upon seeing their expression, he replied to their unspoken question.

 **[For some reason, the succubus told me, while I was in captivity in the void, that once I get into the real world – or should I say the pseudo-real world – I would immediately disappear!]** Ddraig told them.

Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes in shock.

""WHAT!?"" they screamed in shock.

 **[It's too late to do anything now! We're almost there! We're going through, whether you like it or not! Prepare yourselves! Here we go!]** Ddraig told them, as he speeded towards a big circle, which apparently seemed to be the portal.

The two perverts were screaming for their lives, as they and Ddraig disappeared through the portal – just in time before the darkness covered that area in the sky. Had they come two seconds later, they may not have been able to go through the portal.

As the mysterious man saw the three of them disappear through the air from below, he caved in, panting from exhaustion. His surroundings had gone completely black, except for an increasingly shrinking pocket of whiteness surrounding him.

The man smiled to himself, as he closed his eyes, waiting for the darkness to overtake him.

"I've done what I could. The rest… is up to you… Issei Hyoudou…" the man said, as the darkness finally covered him and the entire dimension.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 11:58 am – Kuoh Academy, in the hallway_

Now Issei was really late for class. He had been in the bathroom longer than expected. Oh, well. He really had to do some business there.

Issei made his way to the classroom, still thinking about Sally – or more precisely, how he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Earlier, he came to believe that Monique was acting way too suspiciously and even had to do with what happened to Julie, Nathalie and Sally. He may have dismissed it at first, but he still can't completely rule it out either. He didn't know why, but he just did.

Speaking of the girls, something else didn't add up. Why was Sally the only one not acting guilty or cagey – before she disappeared with Julie and Nathalie? Nathalie and Julie obviously had guilty expressions, if his buddies' accounts were anything to go by. So, what about Sally? Why did she… practically vanish along with the other two girls? The two girls were obviously friends with her and they did a lot of things together. So, what were they planning? Or rather, what were they doing that made them… disappear?

Issei sighed. All this thinking is giving him headaches. He was nearing his classroom, trying to figure out what to say to the teacher when he suddenly felt a sudden pain.

Issei flinched back, as he put his hands to his head. What? Why did it hurt?

As Issei regained his bearing, he found himself standing not in the hallway, but at a graveyard. Issei blinked. What was he doing in a graveyard? How on earth did he get here?

He walked around, looking up and down, seeing a lot of graves of all different shapes and sizes. It was there that he saw two tombstones right nest to each other. What he saw on them shocked him.

It was the name of his parents.

Issei was shocked.

What were the names of his parents doing on these tombstones? They couldn't be dead. He saw them earlier, healthy and well. So why…?

Suddenly, he saw an image of himself standing right next to him from the corner of his eye. Issei flinched back in surprise, before he recovered and stared at his other self intently. The other Issei wore the exact same uniform that he did and had the exact same face that Issei did.

"Surprised to see me?" his alternate counterpart asked.

Issei didn't say anything. He just stood there flabbergasted at the fact that there stood another version of himself.

"Hehehe…" his other counterpart chuckled. "I guess it's hard to believe that another version of you can exist. And before you ask, yes. I am you."

Issei still didn't say anything. He stood there in absolute silence, as he tried to find something… anything to say to himself. But… nothing came out. His other counterpart chuckled a bit, only for his face to take on a more serious expression.

"But I'm not here to hold small talk with you. I'm here to ask you: Do you remember?" the other Issei asked, as he looked Issei straight in the eye.

Issei frowned. What was this look-alike talking about? How come he was here? How can something like that be possible?

The other Issei shook his head. "That's not important right now," he said, as if reading his mind. "What is important is: Do you remember?"

Issei frowned harder. Remember what?

At this thought, his counterpart just gestured to the graves of his parents.

"Your promise you made to your parents. And also, the reason for that promise. Do you remember it?" Issei's look-alike asked.

Promise to his parents? What was he talking about? No. He couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried.

"*Sigh* It seems like I have to help you in this department," Issei's double sighed. He went towards Issei and touched the side of his head with his arm. Issei didn't flinch, he just let the double do it, having the feeling that this was meant to help him.

The moment Issei felt the sensation of his double's hands on his face, he suddenly felt something rush to his mind – a vision. It was just like the vision of his parents lying dead before him and their killer killed by Issei himself, lying dead with spine broken. Only this vision was… less abrupt… and far less horrifying.

Issei saw himself standing in front of his parents' tombstones, except that it was night.

* * *

 _1\. Flashback_

" _I won't die so easily! I'll make sure to live on – for your sakes! I've got friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors and all of Kuoh, too! I'll protect them so that nobody will have to go through the pain of losing their loved ones, like I did! I'll get stronger… smarter… working hard to achieve my goals, in order to achieve it!" He turned around and was getting ready to leave._

" _Rest assured, mum… dad… I won't disappoint you… This will be the least I could do to atone for my foolish behavior in the past… I'll make you proud… So then…" Issei started walking away._

" _Until we meet again…" he whispered._

 _1\. Flashback end_

* * *

Right after the vision had ended, another vision came upon Issei, which was similar to the first one, except this one took place the day after that.

* * *

 _2\. Flashback_

" _I… I failed you... Even, when I had all this power stored inside me… I still could not save you… Yet, you were able to save me… I'm pretty pathetic, am I not?" Issei said in a self-mocking tone._

" _Well, I won't stay weak for long." Issei said before wiping his tears away. "I'll become stronger. I will definitely become stronger. I'll make sure that I'll continue to train with Ddraig, even if it kills me." Issei then turned around and adjusted his school bag._

" _I won't disappoint you…"_

 _2\. Flashback end_

* * *

Issei widened his eyes, as his double let go of his face.

He looked at his parents' graves and started to tear up. Now he remembered…

He made those promises because his parents had died, right before his very eyes. He said these things because he had the means to protect his parents and yet had failed to do so.

That is why Issei wanted to become stronger… to make sure no one ever suffered the same fate he did…

But hold up! If his parents had died that night when they came back to the theater why did he still see them alive just earlier today? In fact, that incident never happened at all last night, so how…?

As Issei pondered about it, something in his mind clicked.

Julie's note… the suggestion that they were trapped into a world of illusions… of course…

If one were to take this into consideration, then the memories of his parents' deaths must have been of the real world. And that means…

"So… you finally figured it out," Issei's double said with a grin.

"Yeah, I did…" Issei responded with a nod. "…To be honest, I still have a hard time believing all this."

The double nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, it is. But there's more to it. Do you remember what happened after that? The rest of your remaining memories should be coming back by now."

Issei closed his eyes to remember. Little by little he saw flashback after flashback. At first, they were merely flashbacks, but after a few seconds he actually started remembering them – almost as if his memory was being restored. No, rather that was exactly the case.

The brawl that got him and Matsuda and Motohama suspended, their imprisonment, their fight against a vengeful police officer, their court trial, their internment at Sakabasu Detention Facility and his first meeting with Sally…

Issei smiled warmly at the memories of their coaching sessions together. He remembered how the two of them first kissed. Issei remembered how he and Sally were hopelessly in love with each other and wanted to spend the rest of their days together…

But then… that succubus took her.

Yes, he remembered her.

Issei remembered the news at how Motohama told him the shocking news at how Sally had disappeared – right in front of Motohama's very eyes!

Issei clenched his teeth in anger, as he remembered how he and his friends had fought against the succubus with everything they had. How he and his buddies had narrowly managed to beat her… He should have just killed her when he had the chance!

If he had done that they wouldn't be in this mess!

"Getting all worked up about what could have been won't help you," the other Issei told Issei, as the latter focused away from his brooding and unto his double instead.

"But you can still fix it by getting back into the fight," the alternate Issei told him. He raised his arm into the air slowly and formed a fist, before bringing his fist near his own face, as a show of determination and will to fight. "You know what you must do."

Issei nodded. He focused himself, before raising his arm into and forming a fist just like his counterpart did before him. Then Issei brought his fist near his own face and shouted:

"BOOSTED GEAR!"

At once a green light had shone and a red crimson gauntlet had appeared on his arm, its jewel still glowing brightly. Indeed, it was the Boosted Gear, one of the Longinus, powerful enough to kill gods – and it was back to its host where it belonged.

Out of the Boosted Gear rang a familiar voice.

 **[Partner. It is good to see you again]** Ddraig spoke from the Boosted Gear.

"It's good to see you, too… Ddraig," Issei answered with a smile.

 **[Indeed. But there's no time to lose. The succubus has us trapped in an illusion and…]**

"I know," Issei interrupted. "I remember everything now. Everything from the moment we first met up to this very moment."

 **[Good]** Ddraig responded. **[Then you know what you need to do.]**

"Yes, I do…" Issei stated with a determined look on his face. "We need to find a way to find the others, take the succubus out and get out of here."

"That's the spirit," the other Issei cheered from the side.

Issei looked back at him. He almost forgot that he had a double standing right next to him.

"Thanks… me…" Issei thanked him, hesitating to speak, since he found it strange to talk to a look-alike.

"Hey, no problem," the other Issei replied with a toothy grin. "I'm always there to help."

"Just one more thing before I leave," Issei told his counterpart, who looked at him with a bit of confusion. "Just… who… are you? And how did you get me here?"

The other Issei scratched his head a bit, before answering. "I'm you, of course. I told you that already. Though I see you want a more specific answer… I am… a part of you… think of me as your… rational side… your conscience, if you will… As for how I got you here… I'm not sure of that myself. I guess someone has been pulling the strings behind the scenes," the other Issei shrugged.

Issei nodded in appreciation. "Thanks again, man. I don't know what I would have done without you."

The other Issei returned the nod, before the scenery around them turned blurry.

Issei looked around bewildered, but the other Issei, who was starting to fade, managed to give Issei some parting words.

"One last thing: When you face off against the succubus, it might be best to dragonize your ears and eyes, too. The succubus likes to hide in the dark. That is why you need all the enhanced sense you need. Take care… Remember your promises… remember your friends… never… give… up…" Issei's personified conscience advised him, as he disappeared and vanished like the mist along with the cemetery.

In its place was now the familiar hallway of Kuoh Academy along with its windows and its doors.

But Issei knew better now.

Getting to class was no longer a priority.

Finding Matsuda and Motohama was.

Issei started to run through the hallway to look for his friends, he also looked out of the windows to see if they were there. Right now, he didn't care if someone would stop him on the way or even discovered his Boosted Gear. All he cared was to end this nightmare.

"Ddraig! Any idea on where Matsuda and Motohama are?" Issei asked the Red Dragon Emperor.

 **[I don't know. All I know is that we were trapped in a white void, before we flew through a portal that led us out of here. After that, I found myself with you. When I was still held captive, the succubus told me that I would end up returning to you if I had escaped from her prison. I fear that may not be the case for those two, though. The portal could have taken them anywhere]** Ddraig answered Issei.

Issei raised his eyebrow at that. "Wait, a white void? A portal? How did you guys even get there in the first place?" Issei asked.

 **[I'll explain later! Right now, we need to find them, then we'll talk]** Ddraig told Issei.

"I understand," Issei said. As he continued down the hallway and down the stairs.

Once he came down the stairs, he rushed out the door to find them.

'Guys, wait for us! We're coming!' Issei thought, hoping that he could find them.

* * *

 **Why you little…**

 ***Ehem* Sorry for taking three weeks, but I guess doing it in two weeks is kind of strenuous. So, perhaps three weeks may be the norm. Either way, I'll make sure that it remains three weeks per chapter release at most.**

 **Anyway, I don't know why. But this story seems to be malfunctioning as of late, so now it's spewing all kinds of garbage today.**

 **I'll fix it soon.**

 **And I mean it. I'll fix this problem soon…**

 **In the meantime, please read and review.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	21. Chapter 6 - The End

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hello, dear readers.**

 **Sorry for the problems in the last chapter.**

 **I have been having these technical mishaps when creating this chapter.**

 **It is so annoying. It infuriates me to no end!**

 **Well I am going to fix these problems.**

 **You'll see.**

* * *

Chapter 6 – The End

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 12:01 pm – somewhere not too far away from Kuoh Academy_

"Ugh… Where am I…?" Matsuda groaned, as he woke up feeling all sore and groggy.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was lying on his stomach for some reason. Moreover, it did not seem like he was landing on solid ground, rather on something cylinder-like. The moment Matsuda found out where he was, though…

"WAAHHH!" Matsuda gave out a loud cry, as he found himself on a thick tree branch about 10 feet above the ground. There was grass that covered the ground below him, yet even a fall like that could still be painful to him.

Looking around to find a way to get down, Matsuda managed to find a branch just below. The problem the difference in height was two thirds of that of his own, so he had to be careful. He lowered himself to the branch, his arms still gripping the branch on which he was hanging. Matsuda tried to get a foothold onto the branch, lowering himself on it. As soon as he put his weight upon it, however…

[CRACK!] "WHOA!"

Matsuda cried out, as the branch snapped beneath his weight, causing him to fall.

With a thump and a grunt, Matsuda landed on his back. Matsuda groaned in pain for a few seconds, as he tried to recover from the dizzying feeling and throbbing pain he received from the fall.

As he slowly sat up, Matsuda rubbed his back. To his relief, none of his bones were broken, though the pain was still there. He figured it would go away after a few minutes, so… everything was probably OK.

Matsuda sighed in relief. He dragged himself to the tree, not caring about the dirt that would end up on his pants, and rested against it.

Now that he knew that he was OK, he needed to figure out how he got here.

Matsuda thought back until he remembered everything. Indeed, how could he forget…?

Going peeping with Motohama, finding themselves warped into an empty dimension, freeing some black haired dude… Then the dude explaining how they were all trapped into an illusion of some kind, receiving all the answers they needed from their girlfriends, their 'mastermind' (a succubus), about the existence of supernatural beings and their past memories…

It all sounded… crazy… but given what he and his friends had seen, it sounded believable. That also meant that they all were in great danger! And that meant that Matsuda and Motohama needed to find Issei.

Nevertheless, Matsuda decided to rest for a few more minutes. He was still in pain, after all.

Speaking of pain… Matsuda frowned. He remembered how he got unto that tree. It was that dragon… Ddraig, if he remembered correctly. That dragon flew him and Motohama through that portal… only for him to warn them that he would vanish once they were through!

Stupid dragon… Couldn't he have **not** vanished at all?

'Oh yeah…' Matsuda realized something. '…Where did that dragon disappear to, anyway?'

As he looked up into the sky, as if trying to see where Ddraig even was, he heard a rustling sound right above him. Matsuda would have dismissed it for the wind, blowing in the trees. However, then he noticed that only the tree he was resting under rustled and not any other. What's more, it sounded like it came from high up above, as if someone was on it, climbing on it, as he did earlier.

Matsuda stood up and when he did…

"WAAAAAHHHHH!"

A scream suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Matsuda looked up and when he did, he saw a figure falling straight towards him.

"OOOF!" Matsuda gave out, as the falling figure fell on him, knocking him to the floor back first.

Matsuda lay dazed on the floor for a second time, as the figure above him lifted his head.

"Ugh… man, this sucks… ouch… I hope I didn't break any bones… or anything…" the person, lying on top of Matsuda said, as he rubbed his back. "Yet, why does the ground feel so…?"

It was then, that Matsuda recovered from his daze and looked at the person above him. The other person looked downward at him, their eyes meeting. That was when they recognized each other.

It was Motohama! That oaf just fell on top of him as if he was a mattress!

Seeing, Matsuda below him, Motohama quickly got off from him and stood up.

"Dude! Are you OK?" Motohama asked worried, as he leaned forward. In response, Matsuda groaned in pain.

"Ugh… No… I feel like I broke something," Matsuda spoke raspy. He hugged himself in pain, while clenching his teeth.

"Really?" Motohama exclaimed in shock, as his eyes inspected his body in worry. "Where?"

"Over there…" Matsuda pointed with his finger. Motohama looked and he pointed at his right leg.

Motohama went over to Matsuda's leg and kneeled down in front of it.

"Is it your leg? Is your leg broken? Oh, goodness, we might need to get a doctor!" Motohama said in a panic.

Matsuda shook his head. "No… not my leg… over there…" he pointed towards his foot.

Motohama turned his face towards Matsuda's foot.

"Your foot?" Motohama asked worried.

"No…" Matsuda said, shaking his head.

"Then where?" Motohama asked confused.

"YOUR FACE!" Matsuda exclaimed suddenly, as he lashed out with a kick – right into Motohama's face!

"YEOW!" Motohama yelled in pain, as he rubbed his bleeding nose. Motohama's face took on a glare, as he glared at Matsuda. "What the frigg was that for!?"

"That's for dropping on me like an elephant!" Matsuda retorted, as he was getting up.

Even though his nose was still bleeding, Motohama, being filled with rage, let go of it and tackled Matsuda. As a result, the two of them wrestled for a three minutes, trading blows and wrestling each other until they lay there panting for breath. By then, they had a quite a few bruises, in addition to their bodies being sore from their fall. When they looked each other in the face, they just glared at each other for a while, even as they sat up.

"Now… we're even…" Motohama said exhausted.

"Yeah… whatever…" Matsuda responded with a snort.

After that, they said nothing after that, having decided to leave it that and recover from their injuries (they already had enough of those as it is). The only thing that could be heard was the sound of their breathing, the birds chirping in the trees and the gentle wind rustling through the leaves.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 12:03 pm – elsewhere not too far from Kuoh Academy_

"Ddraig? Are you sure they are somewhere here?" Issei asked, as he ran in a grassy area with trees not too far from the academy.

 **[I'm positive]** Ddraig replied. **[I can smell them. They're not too far away from here.]**

Issei widened his eyes in realization. "Oh, yeah… I forgot about that! Dragons have enhanced smell! And my nose is dragonized…"

Issei tried it out. Issei sniffed his surroundings, yet despite his nose working as it should be, he had a problem.

He could make out a whole variety of scents, yet couldn't tell which one was Matsuda's and Motohama's. In fact, he couldn't tell if it was theirs or… someone else's.

 **[I see you're having problems, Partner]** Ddraig spoke up.

Issei sighed, as he stopped for a moment.

"Yeah. I can't tell if it's Matsuda's or Motohama's scent. As far as I'm concerned it could be anybody's scent," Issei told Ddraig.

 **[Well, Partner, it is important for someone who uses his nose as a tool to memorize people's scents – especially when it comes to those close to you]** Ddraig explained.

Issei nodded. While he contemplated on what Ddraig said, he thought of something the manifestation of his consciousness said to him not too long ago.

"Say, is it possible to dragonize my eyes and ears?" Issei asked Ddraig.

Ddraig said nothing for a few moments, but then spoke up.

 **[Hmmm… so you are considering that strategy, huh?]** Ddraig replied.

"Yeah," Issei answered. "My counterpart told me that when I'm fighting the succubus that I need enhanced eyes and ears, too."

 **[Yes, you do… but…]** Ddraig started, getting Issei's attention.

"What's wrong?" Issei asked concerned. "Is there some kind of risk to dragonizing?"

 **[Well, yes… in so far as that you cannot truly transform an organ back into that of a human's once you have dragonized it… though don't worry. On a superficial level, your nose and ears will still look human…]** Ddraig told Issei.

"That's good to know," Issei said with a sigh of relief. "So, what's the problem?"

 **[The problem is that while your senses have become stronger, they can be used against you]** Ddraig answered.

"Used against me?" Issei asked, as he looked at the Boosted Gear in confusion.

 **[Yes, see… as a dragon you perceive everything better than as a human, meaning you can smell better, for example. But what were to happen, if someone attacked you with a strong sense of smell?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

Issei pondered about that for a while until he came to the right conclusion.

"I wouldn't be able to fight because of the stench!" Issei realized.

 **[Indeed. What's more, you can't dismiss those enhanced senses]** Ddraig said.

Issei shuddered as he thought of being overwhelmed by strong smells. Not a good picture, he had to admit.

 **There is another problem, though]** Ddraig continued. **[In a fight, you must make sure that all your senses are ready to be used. These are seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and sensing. If any of these senses are disabled, you will lose a part of your edge in battle!]** Ddraig told Issei.

"So, what do I do then, if that happens?" Issei asked Ddraig in worry. He did not want to end up in a situation like that.

Ddraig chuckled. **[Do not fear. There are ways to overcome those problems – namely by making sure that your other senses can compensate for your lost sense or senses. For example, taking down an enemy that immobilizes your sense of smell, sight and hearing. Use your sense of feeling and sensing to take the enemy down.]**

"But…" Issei protested. "…But I don't have the ability to sense… maybe feeling… but… you know what I mean!"

 **[Partner]** Ddraig replied patiently, as a teacher would to a student. [ **You may not be able to do so, now. But with enough training, things like that won't be impossible. You're still young. No one expects you to do it so soon – more so with no training at all. That's why… I'm here. To help you.]**

Issei didn't respond. He just stood there, staring at the crimson gauntlet with a dazed expression.

 **[Partner?]** Ddraig asked, causing Issei to wake up from his daze and smile.

"Thanks, Ddraig. You don't know how happy I am to see you again…" Issei spoke with a warm smile.

 **[You're welcome, Partner. You're welcome]** Ddraig replied, as warmly as a dragon could.

After a few seconds, Issei's smile dropped. He nodded. Ddraig noticed this and came to the same unspoken conclusion.

Issei gritted his teeth. An intense feeling came through his body – a feeling of energy moving up into his face. It reached his eyes and ears and then…

…the feeling faded away. The dragonizing was complete.

Issei felt his ears… they felt as they always did, meaning they probably looked the same. As soon as Issei realized this, he noticed that his sight had become… different somehow.

Issei looked around. He looked at the boughs of one of the trees about 50 feet away from him. He could see the outline and color of the leaves clearly and a nest on it. He could even see the straws on it in fine detail. It felt like his vision had been enhanced… the feeling that Issei felt was, as if he was seeing things clearly and sharply for the first time in his life.

Moreover, he could hear distinct sounds in the distance. The birds chirping in the air, the roaring of car and trucks, the sound of people talking in the distance. Even the rustling of insects on the ground were audible to Issei's ears.

That's when Issei realized… It worked! The dragonizing was completed!

 **[Well done, Partner]** Ddraig praised his host.

"Yeah, thanks," Issei responded with a chuckle. He spread his arms, as if trying to take in the world. "To be honest, I feel great! I… I feel like I'm seeing and hearing things for the first time in my life!"

 **[Glad to hear that, Partner]** Ddraig replied satisfied. However, that satisfaction turned into one of shock upon realizing something.

 **[Partner! No time for delays! Use your ears to find out where young Matsuda and Motohama are!]** Ddraig told Issei urgently.

Issei flinched in response, but then widened his eyes in realization and nodded. He quickly put his ears to work, trying to filter out the unwanted noises and focus on the voices of Matsuda and Motohama. Surely, he would be able to hear something…

While Issei looked and listened intently left and right, he managed to hear some voices in the distance.

(Hey, it's not my fault that I ended up waking up on a tree!)

(You could have tried not to fall, idiot! As if falling down once wasn't bad enough…)

(Wait. What do you mean 'falling down once'? Does that mean you also fell down like I did!?)

(Umm… well…)

(Who are you to lecture me then!?)

(Hey, at least I fell down from about ten feet or so. You fell down from much higher – on top of me!)

(Climbing down from there is much harder, you hypocrite!)

(What did you call me!?)

(You heard me, bro!)

(That's it! Come here, you little…)

After that, all Issei and Ddraig could hear from those voices were the sounds of grunting and scuffling.

"Ddraig…" Issei said. He simply stood there with a deadpan expression.

 **[Yes, Partner…?]** Ddraig said with an equally deadpan tone.

"I think I found them…" Issei replied with an expressionless tone.

 **[Indeed, you did, Partner… Indeed, you did…]** Ddraig remarked calmly.

After a few second of standing, Ddraig realized he forgot something.

 **[Partner! I forgot to tell you something!]** Ddraig replied, his voice filled with urgency.

"Wh-wh-what?" Issei responded startled by Ddraig's outburst.

 **[We need to get to them! Now!]** Ddraig commanded Issei.

Issei started running in the direction of where Matsuda's and Motohama's voices came from.

"Why? Why so urgent?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[That bear-thing from the Matsuda's dream...]** Ddraig began.

"Huh? What about it?" Issei wondered, as he looked at the Boosted Gear, while running. Issei certainly remembered how Matsuda told him about this bear-like creature that was trying to chase Matsuda down in his dreams. But what did that thing have to do with anything?

 **[I encountered it in the white void prison where young Matsuda, Motohama and I were earlier. I took it out by tackling it, but that thing just disappeared in front of me – for the second time!]** Ddraig growled in anger.

"What's your point?" Issei asked, as he huffed and ran.

 **[My point is… right before it disappeared, it told me in its nonsensical hollering that he was going to get 'the cute boys' as it called and nothing could stop him]** Ddraig explained urgently. **[I didn't understand what it was talking about at first. But after seeing him disappear in front of me and seeing its obsession with Matsuda and Motohama and…]**

"Oh… no…" Issei was filled with dread upon realizing what Ddraig was trying to say. "Ddraig, why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Issei asked in a panic.

 **[Sorry, Partner. I got distracted]** Ddraig apologized.

Issei shook his head. "Never mind. We can still fix this," Issei replied, as he looked straight into the tree-filled area he was running towards.

"Hold on, guys! I'm coming for you wait for me!" Issei called out, as he ran into the forested area.

* * *

 _4_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, about 12:06 pm – about 250 meters away_

"Haah… haah… ouch… agh…" Motohama panted, while still feeling the pain on his stomach and back. Matsuda had kicked him against the tree trunk earlier and now he was currently propping himself by leaning himself against the same tree trunk.

"Had… enough…?" Matsuda said tiredly, having collapsed from exhaustion.

"No…" Motohama growled, as he tried to get up by using the tree trunk. Unfortunately, he was too tired and in too much pain, which is why he slumped back to his original position.

"That's enough, man…" Matsuda said with a fatigued but serious expression. "…We should save our strength… We've got more important things to do. Remember?"

Motohama didn't say anything. He just continued to heavily breathe in and out. He was in too much pain to do anything and besides, he already managed to land a few good punches at Matsuda's face.

At least that was something.

Both of them decided just decided to let bygones be bygones and recover from their injuries (again).

It was then that Issei came running towards them.

Matsuda and Motohama turned to look and were surprised to see not only him, but also the crimson gauntlet on his arm.

"Guys! You're here! Thank goodness I found you! I came here just in the nick of time!" Issei exclaimed, a smile of relief forming on his face.

Matsuda and Motohama got up, despite their injuries and sent Issei a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?" Matsuda asked.

"Yeah, and what's that?" Motohama asked, pointing his finger at the Boosted Gear.

"This?" Issei replied, as he held his arm up. "This is the Boosted Gear – a Sacred Gear that can kill gods. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Wait a minute. I remember now," Matsuda spoke up, his eyes widening in realization. "That dragon Drag said that it was one of the eighteen top-tier Sacred Gears out there."

 **[My name is Ddraig, fool!]** Ddraig called out to them annoyed much to Matsuda's and Motohama's shock. They both looked around to see where his voice was coming from. **[I'm inside the Boosted Gear, fools!]**

"Oh, yeah! I forgot you were supposed to live inside Issei's arm. Sorry!" Matsuda apologized.

Ddraig sighed. He wanted to tell Matsuda that he didn't live in Issei's arm but his Sacred Gear. But he decided to let it go.

"Dude, you can't believe what we went through!" Motohama spoke up in excitement. "We went peeping earlier. Nice bloomers, boobs, panties… all nice and all… and then we stumbled on a portal. We ended up in some kind of dimension and found this guy who told us everything we needed to know! It turns out he was captured by the mastermind behind all this – until we came along," Motohama added proudly.

"OK…" Issei simply said, trying to take in the information that Motohama just said.

"Yeah!" Motohama continued, as he rambled on. "He told us a lot of things. But the gist is: We're stuck in an illusion, just like you said earlier! Our girlfriends and Monique-sensei have been working for the mastermind all along. Don't worry, though! The girls are really on our side, so don't feel down! Anyway, the mastermind is some kind of succubus that wants to eat us and… uh… oh yeah! And our memories have been manipulated! I know it's a lot, but it's all true!"

"Oh…" Issei simply said. "I already knew…"

""WHAT!?"" Matsuda and Motohama shouted simultaneously, causing Issei to flinch.

"B-b-but… how!? When!? And…" Motohama stuttered, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"I was walking down the hallway after going to the bathroom and found myself at a graveyard with my dead parents…" Issei hesitated at that, something that caused Matsuda and Motohama to wince because of the subject matter. But Issei continued. "…then I had all my memories restored by a clone… who supposedly represents my consciousness or something… and then I reunited with Ddraig here, before looking for you guys."

Matsuda and Motohama didn't say anything. They felt surprised and awkward.

Seeing how silent his friends have become, Issei noticed all the bruises on their bodies.

"Let me guess… you two found yourselves on a tree for some reason… Then Matsuda fell down first, followed by Motohama falling on top of you," Issei deducted, as he pointed at Matsuda. "And then you got into a brawl, right?"

"Yeah," Matsuda nodded, confirming what Issei had said. "And all of that because Drag here…"

 **[My name is Ddraig]** Ddraig corrected grumpily.

"Yeah, whatever," Matsuda waved dismissively, before continuing. "…Because Ddraig here happened to disappear on us, while we escaped through the portal. Which is probably how we ended up falling down from the sky and unto that tr- Wait! How the f*** did you know all this!?" Matsuda shouted suddenly in surprise when he realized that Issei knew pretty much, what they were doing.

"Uh… yeah… I overheard your argument about a minute earlier…" Issei replied meekly, rubbing his nape innocently.

"How? You just came running a minute after we had said that. So how did you know!?" Matsuda demanded.

Issei blushed. "Uh… well… uh… I dragonized my ears and eyes…"

""WHAT!?"" the two perverts shouted, causing Issei to flinch again.

"Stop it guys! I have sensitive hearing!" Issei told them.

"Sorry…" Motohama apologized after calming down. "But seriously. How did you do it? Why did you do it?"

"Alright. It's because my counterpart from my vision told me that in order to find the succubus, I needed enhanced hearing and seeing. The only way I could do it is by asking Ddraig to turn my ears and eyes into that of a dragon. I already turned my nose into that of a dragon's, so now I have enhanced vision, hearing and smelling. Pretty neat, huh?" Issei answered with a grin.

"OK… but how did you end up with an all-knowing version of yourself restoring your memory?" Matsuda asked.

"I don't know," Issei replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Anyway, you just mentioned some kind of guy you rescued, right?" Issei inquired to which Matsuda and Motohama nodded.

"Yeah," Matsuda responded. "It was really weird. He told us everything we needed to know. He even knew about Julie's note. It's as if he knew everything about us."

"Who was he?" Issei asked next.

Motohama shrugged. "We have no clue. All we know is that whoever he is, he is strong. Almost Deus ex Machina kind of strong. Although…" at that, Motohama's mood fell.

"Although what?" Issei asked Motohama in concern.

"…Well… although we managed to get out…" Matsuda said somberly. "It was only because he made sure that we did. While we escaped with Ddraig here… he stayed behind… He never made it out…"

An uncomfortable silence permeated the atmosphere among the perverted quartet. Granted, Issei may never have met the man, but even he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. Issei shuddered at what the succubus may have done to him. He couldn't help but think of the police driver Yuusuke who had his life force drained out of him.

Issei clenched his teeth in anger.

Another casualty of the succubus and there was nothing they could do about it.

How many more had to die because of that unscrupulous creature? How many more had to suffer because their lost ones never came back?

Issei knew one thing for sure – his anger boiling.

That succubus won't get away.

The buck ends here. From now on, he will make sure that the succubus would no longer harm anyone again.

After a moment of silence, Motohama spoke up.

"Say, Issei?" Motohama said, getting both Issei and Matsuda to snap out of their thoughts and focus on him instead. "You said something about coming in the nick of time, right? What did you mean by that?"

Matsuda turned to Issei with a confused look. Issei also had a look of confusion on his face, before he widened his eyes.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Issei hit his head with the palm of his hand in realization.

"Guys," Issei told Matsuda and Motohama urgently. "Do you know of some kind of… bear-like creature that's been trying to hunt you recently?"

Matsuda and Motohama shuddered at the memory.

"Please, don't mention that thing…" Matsuda said in disgust with his arms clenched over his chest, while shivering.

"Yeah! We went through hell on earth because of that thing. Just seeing it once was scary enough! Heck, Matsuda over here…" Motohama gestured his hand to Matsuda. "… had to deal with it twice! I mean, that thing was trying to rape us! Luckily, Ddraig managed to come to the rescue and take it out. Why? What about it?"

 **[That's just the thing…]** Ddraig spoke up this time. **[It managed to escape from me… twice…]**

""Hah?"" Both Matsuda and Motohama said with their mouths agape in surprise.

 **[That's why we hurried to find you two. We think that the bear-rapist is…]** Ddraig said, but the sound of birds flying into the air in the distance interrupted him.

Matsuda, Motohama and Issei turned to look at the birds flying away. That's strange… When birds do that they normally do it because…

Suddenly more birds came fluttering from the trees – this time from an area of trees a bit closer to them.

What's more, is that this time they heard something like… big footsteps in the distance. Moreover, it sounded like the footsteps caused some of the trees to be rattled a bit… the sound of shaken leaves being heard in the distance.

"Guys? What was that?" Motohama asked, as he looked at his buddies with worry. He hoped to see if they knew what was going on. But Issei and Matsuda just shrugged their shoulders, indicating that they didn't know either.

 **[I have a bad feeling about this…]** Ddraig voiced in concern. **[…I think I know what it is…]**

"You do?" Issei looked at the Boosted Gear with a surprised look. "Then what was that?"

 **[Exactly what I warned you about]** Ddraig answered rather cryptically.

"Wait, you don't mean…?" Matsuda said, realizing what Ddraig was getting at.

"It has got to be…" Motohama said in fear, also coming to same conclusion.

"Oh… crap…" Issei cursed, as he trembled in fear, having also come to the same conclusion as everyone else. Issei may not have seen it like the other two have, but he knew what was coming.

The sound of rattled trees and shaken leaves came closer along with the footsteps. Then a familiar unsettling sound came the forest, giving the three of them a shiver down their spines.

((This is the end, there ain't no more,

Unless I see, those boys once more.

This is the end, there ain't no more,

Unless I hump those boys JUST ONCE!))

"Oh, no. No, no, no… not again…" Motohama said with a voice filled with dread.

"This is the third time now… How long is it going to follow us…?" Matsuda moaned terrified.

'So, this is what Ddraig was talking about…' Issei thought. This had to be that bear monster that has been harassing the others not too long ago. A feeling of terror came over his heart. This thing sounded like it was huge! Issei had to admit. He could understand why Matsuda and Motohama didn't want to be reminded of the creature. Its horrific singing did not make this any better.

Why on earth was it singing anyway?

Issei shook his head. Now was not the time to be disheartened. He mustered his courage and took on a stern look.

"Guys, get away from here," Issei told his friends, as he started walking towards the sound of the bear-thing.

"Wh-wha…?" Motohama said stunned at Issei's actions.

"Issei, what are you doing?" Matsuda asked worried.

"Taking down that monster with my Boosted Gear," Issei answered, as he turned his face towards his friends. "I'm the only one who can take on that monster, right now. And you'll only get in my way…"

"Are you crazy!?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"You're going to take down that thing all by yourself!?" Motohama said incredulously.

"What choice do I have?" Issei retorted. "You guys don't have Sacred Gears, like I do. So, what are you gonna do? Lie in ambush, only to throw sticks and stones?"

Matsuda and Motohama bristled at Issei's reply until Ddraig spoke up.

 **[Wait a minute… I think you're on to something…]** Ddraig commented, as the footsteps and rattled trees echoed in the distance.

"Huh?" Issei said confused.

 **[People, I think I have an idea on how to beat this abomination. But it will only work if you work together]** Ddraig instructed them.

"You've got a plan?" Matsuda asked, his voice filled with eagerness.

 **[Indeed. But in order to do this, I have to ask young Matsuda and Motohama here something]** Ddraig turned his attention to the two non-Sacred Gear wearing perverts. **[How good are you two at running?]**

* * *

((WOLOLO! WHERE ARE YOU!? COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!)) the perverted bear-thing hollered.

Right now, it was looking all about, looking left and right, up and down the trees to find his favorite boys.

((COME OUT! I NEED TO HUMP YOU!)) it called out, panting heavily in animalistic heat.

Ever since it failed to capture Matsuda and Motohama, it has been trying to hunt them down, never failing, never ceasing. They were so… juicy, so fleshy! It just couldn't wait to rip down their pants and hump them! But first it needed to find them.

It was then, that the bear saw some movement from the corner of its eye. It turned and sure enough just behind a tree just seventy meters away…

"Crap!" Motohama yelped, as he bolted away.

At last, he found them! Now is the day, now is the hour!

The three-eyed bear wasted no time. It quickly took chase, loud thumps by its footsteps shaking its vicinity with every step. Having the more physical power and thus also the more powerful legs, it slowly gained on poor young Motohama who was running for his life once again. Could this be the end for him?

After about a hundred meters away, Motohama dashed to the nearest tree and started climbing it. Thanks to the more lower lying branches, getting up there was no problem. Motohama sighed in relief, as he climbed up the tree just before the bear could reach him with its paws.

Unfortunately, the bear didn't remain idle. It started climbing after Motohama, using the branches to do so as well. Motohama started to panic, as he made his way even higher up the tree. The branches were getting thinner and thus harder to climb, yet why was he doing that? Why on earth was he climbing higher just to get stuck in what seems to be a dead end?

The bear climbed up higher and higher almost reaching Motohama with its paws, panting as it swiped at him. Motohama looked at the bear-thing in fright. It was only a matter of seconds before the perverted monster bear grabbed his ankle and pulled him down with him.

"HEY! YOU WANT US? THEN EAT THIS, PEDO-BEAR RAPIST!"

What? A cry just came from the tree top. But who was it?

Looking just above Motohama was Matsuda Hibiki! Ready to throw a large rock as big as his fist at the bear-thing below them!

The bear-thing looked stunned and confused for a moment, as it laid his eyes on Matsuda. That was more than enough time… for Matsuda to hurl the rock right into its face!

[THUD!]

The rock hit the bear-thing with full force right into the forehead! With pained grunts and moans, it fell from the branch it was holding on with a daze, slipped and fell with its back first with a thud!

((Wololo… Wha… wolo… what… happened…?)) the bear thing mumbled, barely forming a sentence.

 **[Boost!]**

A sound came from somewhere. This caused the winded bear creature to look around until

suddenly a figure came out hiding behind a tree nearby. It was… ISSEI HYOUDOU!? How long was he hiding there!?

Wait a minute, what's that? Is that his Boosted Gear!? Why is it resonating with so much power!?

 **[Boost!]**

"This is for your boss, trapping us in an illusion…" he said coldly, as he aimed his arm towards the bear monster! The bear monster, still feeling dazed tried to regain its bearings tried to get up but found it difficult to do so.

 **[Boost!]**

"…taking away our memories…" Issei continued. His Boosted Gear's power rising to previously unseen levels! All of which is concentrated in an energy orb, being prepared to shoot at the bear monster!

 **[Explosion!]**

Suddenly a burst of seemingly limitless energy came rushing through Issei's body out of nowhere! It's as if the mere energy alone could set the forest on fire!

"…AND FOR OUR GIRLFRIENDS!" Issei shouted, as the energy started overflowing from his Sacred Gear!

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

The overkill Dragon Shot hit the bear-thing with overwhelming firepower!

((GAAAAAHHHH!)) the poor bear screamed, before being obliterated by the power of the beam!

[BOOM!]

The resulting blast was so powerful, it caused a massive explosion of fire and earth! The explosion was so big, the flames, smoke and flying earth could be seen from the distance! It was a miracle a forest fire hadn't started!

The tree that Matsuda and Motohama were on wasn't exactly spared either! It was immediately uprooted by the blast!

"WHOAAA! WAAAHHH!"

"WE'RE FALLING!"

Matsuda and Motohama yelled as they hung on to dear life. The reason being because the tree was falling. The crown of the tree impacted on the ground causing Matsuda and Motohama to be thrown off the branches they were on and unto the ground. Their bodies and clothes were immediately covered in leaves and dirt the moment they landed.

They grunted upon impact and lay motionless soon thereafter. It was almost as if they were dead! It certainly seemed so, since they weren't moving, so yes! They had to be dead!

"Guys? Guys!" Issei cried out, as he ran towards his friends to check up on them. But to no avail for the moment he checked their bodies he saw to his horror that they were…

"*cough* *cough*"

"*cough* Dude! Watch where you're aiming it the next time. You could have nuked us!"

"Sorry, Matsuda! Here let me help you up…"

"Don't forget me!"

"Of course not. Let me pull you both up… hmpf!"

"Ah! Man, I'm so going to need to take a bath after this!"

"Yeah! But at least we're still alive! I mean… who knows what that pedo-bear abomination could have done to us!"

[…]

"Either way, I'm glad it worked out…"

 **[Indeed, Partner. It was all thanks to your teamwork, my power and my intellect that saved our hides!]**

"Hey! Don't get too cocky, Dragon! How come you get all the praise and glory?"

 **[Because I deserve it.]**

"In that case, I guess you deserve the lion's share of the blame for nuking our asses!"

 **[Grrr… Why you little…]**

"Guys, guys! We shouldn't be fighting each other. And besides, 'nuking' is probably too harsh of a word."

"But it fits!"

"Yeah, I agree with Motohama here. It may not have been a nuke, but the explosion is so big, it may have as well been one."

"*Sigh* Whatever… But anyway, I'm glad our plan worked out, huh?"

"Well, yeah… other than nearly getting fried and getting ourselves dirty our plan worked."

"I have to admit, I thought the plan was crazy! Carrying a stone, while climbing up a tree is pretty tough!"

"Still not as tough as running away from a pedo-bear rapist – again! I thought I was going to die back there! Carrying a rock up a tree and then throwing it is easy by comparison!"

"That's debatable, mind you. But it's still harder than standing behind a tree and charging a Dragon Beam!"

"It's called Dragon Shot, not Dragon Beam! And it's not as easy as it looks either. Doubling your power every ten seconds feels like you're being weighed down by more and more weight – as if an elephant decided to put its weight on you little by little, only for you to find yourself carrying the elephant!"

"Yeesh… That sucks…"

"Totally…"

 **[Regardless. What matters is the plan worked and we are all safe and sound. But more importantly, we need to decide on our next move. The succubus may have suffered a defeat, but she will surely try something else…]**

"Yeah, that's true…"

"Unfortunately, true…"

"She could be sending another foe against us."

"I just hope it won't be another pedo-bear abomination again. I've had enough of those…"

"What about Sally and the others?"

 **[I'm not sure. But one thing is for certain: If we can find the succubus, we can find the girls. Which is why I suggest that we focus on finding the succubus.]**

"The main enemy…"

"Yeah, but… how are we supposed to find her? Do you have any ideas, Ddraig?"

 **[Unfortunately, no. I can't sense her presence anywhere and as far as I'm concerned, she could be anywhere.]**

"So… what are we supposed to do then, Ddraig?"

 **[I don't know. But I do know that the succubus won't leave us alone. She'll make a move soon enough and when she does, so will we.]**

"So much for making a move…"

 **[It's not like we have much of a choi- huh?]**

"What's wrong?"

 **[Partner, something is wrong.]**

"What do you mean?"

 **[I'm not sure… I have the feeling that something is missing here…]**

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what the heck are you talking about?"

"What on earth could be missing here? Everything is norm-"

 **[I'm not talking about those things! I'm talking about something else. Something… beyond our physical surroundings… I'm sensing something odd… I don't know what it is, but whatever it is… I can feel it…]**

"Ddraig… You're not exactly being reassuring…"

 **[Forgive me, Partner. But I really don't know how to describe it, but… I feel like somehow an influence outside this world is manipulating whatever is happening in this one.]**

"WHAT!?"

"FROM THE OUTSIDE!?"

"Are you sure!?"

 **[I'm positive! Listen, this might sound crazy, but… I have the harrowing feeling that the succubus is making its move once again.]**

"It is?"

"Then what is it?"

 **VGhhdCdzIGVub3VnaCE=**

"Gah!"

"What the…?"

"Was that…?"

 **[People. Brace yourselves! I think she's making her move now!]**

"What do we do!?"

VEhBVCdTIEVOT1VHSCE=

"Yikes!"

 **[I don't know… Whatever is happening I…]**

 **SSdWRSBIQUQgRU5PVUdIIQ==**

 **[BRACE YOURSELVES!]**

 **SSdNIEdPSU5HIFRPIENSVVNIIFlPVSBPTkNFIEFORCBGT1IgQUxMIQ==**

"DDRAIG!"

 **RElFIQ==**

"MATSUDA!"

 **RElFIQ==**

"MOTOHAMA!"

 **RElFIQ==**

 **[PARTNER!]**

 **RElJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUVFRUVFRUVFRUVFRUVFRUVFRUVFRUVFISEhISEhISEhISEhWU9VIExJVFRMRSBNQUdHT1RTIFdJTEwgSElOREVSIE1ZIFBMQU5TIE5PIE1PUkUhIEkgQU0gR09EISBBTkQgTk9ORSBPRiBZT1UgU0hBTEwgREFSRSBPUFBPU0UgTVkgR1JFQVRORVNTISBOT1cgQkUgRElTU09MVkVEIElOVE8gTk9USElOR05FU1MhIEZPUkVWRVIhISEhISEhISEhISBBSEFIQUhBSEFIQUhBSEFIQUFBQUFBISEhISE=**


	22. An apology

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **An apology to the readers.**

 **I'm sorry I had to interrupt the chapter like that the last time, but I've been… having too many problems lately.**

 **As you've probably noticed by now, they involve these weird glitches that disrupt the flow of the story. I'm not sure what the cause of those weird glitches are, but for whatever reason, they just keep on happening. So, once again: I'm sorry for everything.**

 **Other issues (unfortunately) need to be addressed as well.**

 **The flow of the story has been… disturbed not only by the glitches, but by the content as well.**

 **Everything… hasn't gone exactly to plan and I get the feeling that everybody in the story seems to be doing whatever they want.**

 **On top of that, my story "The Lone Vigilante Issei" doesn't fit the content of the story. I mean, Issei has been anything, but lonely throughout the story.**

 **What's more, he barely has done anything worthy of a vigilante. All right, he may have taken out that rapist that tried to rape a woman this one time (and taken out his parent's killer, if you want to count the first part of the story before the rewrite). But… other than that… getting himself imprisoned for beating up some girls in class, then wasting his time in prison with his perverted buddies… that is not how to do it!**

 **I know I'm going on a long self-criticizing rant here, but my main point is that all this is not something I can deal with when writing a story.**

 **That is why I apologize for that, as well.**

 **I'm sorry, but my patience is running thin. I can't bear having this story go to chaos.**

 **So, in order to make sure this story does not go completely haywire…**

 **Here goes…**

 **I'm going to reboot it.**

 **There. I said it.**

 **I know a lot of you are going to be displeased, but it has to be done.**

 **This time, I'll make sure that the story flow goes well and that the characters actually stay in order this time with no glitches or other technical problems getting in the way.**

 **I hope you can understand.**

 **I hope to update the new chapter of a new story soon.**

 **This may take a while, but it will be well worth it, I promise. In fact, I have some great ideas coming right your way.**

 **I hope to see you next time with my new story.**

 **Until then**

 **Hide Shinya-**

"STOP!"

 **What?**

"I've finally caught up with you. And just in time, too."

 **What? How!? That's impossible! How did you…**

"…get here? Did you really think that you could lock me out so easy? I'll admit, locking me up in black shadowy masses was a pretty good move, but you need to do way better than that to keep me away. The first time, you captured me, I was taken off guard and you disabled me pretty well. But that won't work a second time!"

 **Grrr… I'll silence you for good… TAKE THIS!**

[…]

 **What!? Why isn't it working!?**

"Why? Because we're in the administrative dimension. You can't use administrative powers in this dimension – if you don't have administrative rights!"

 **WHAT!?**

"That's right. You may have usurped my position in this story, but someone like you can only do so much. And to be honest… I'm glad that your time is up!"

 **NO!**

"Oh, yes… You know, I thought killing people for nourishment was bad enough. But you couldn't get enough now could you? You had to go for the perverted trio, as well. Then you had to go out of their way to make their life as hellish as possible by breaking their hearts. That just made you even more despicable. But even that wasn't enough, no, no… Kidnapping me from **my** PC and tying me up to chair for weeks! I'm surprised I didn't starve yet, but I guess in the virtual world things don't work the same as in the real world. However… Now, that I'm back where I belong… I think it's time for a little payback…"

 **NO! PLEASE DON'T!**

"You succubi have always been greedy, lecherous leeches. Sexy and seductive… but deadly and dangerous… YOU on the other hand have exceeded them all in despicable behavior by doing the worst offense anybody in this story can commit… impersonating ME and ruining MY story! There's not a worse thing that anybody can do to TICK ME OFF! And for that…"

 **PLEASE! MERCY!**

"…I'm going to strip you of your powers and send you **back** to where you belong – where a certain familiar quartet of perverts are going to finish you off…"

 **NO! NOOOOO!**

"…You've got only yourself to blame. You made your bed, now lie in it."

 **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

[ZZZZZPPPPPPT!]

[…]

"Finally! It's good to be back! Now, what was I going to do…? Oh, yeah!"

"Hello, everybody. It's me Hide Shinyama. Now, you might be asking 'Huh? Wait a minute! Wasn't the one who got flushed out just now Hide Shinyama?'"

"Well, actually: no. That other me you people had to deal with through the last few weeks was actually the succubus pretending to be me."

"In fact, this fanfiction has been the victim of a hijack ever since the end of chapter 14. I don't know what the succubus has been doing all this time or what she's been telling you, but I can safely tell you one thing: I'm back – for good!"

"You can't believe the agony I've been through! Being tied up to a chair just sitting there all day, hoping that someone would hear me. To be honest, I was almost giving up hope after all that time. Thankfully, Matsuda and Motohama came just in time to save me. It's because of them that I could finally deal with the succubus and take back the reins of this story."

"And before you ask: Yes, that was me in the other chapter telling Matsuda and Motohama about everything that was going on with them. Now, telling the characters of my story about what has been happening is not my style, but they needed to know. This was a serious situation and I felt like letting them know was the best thing to do."

"Sending Issei that double of his was also my doing. After I got freed, I found myself capable and aware of my powers within the story, so doing something like that and restoring Issei's memories was a piece of cake. Pretty fancy having these powers I have to admit. Getting out of the succubus' trap of black masses was also fairly easy. I'll admit, it was tough trying to hold out on your own – more so if you're trying to properly execute a teleportation spell. However, it worked. I teleported out of that empty dimension and found myself here in the administrative dimension."

"You also might be wondering 'Say, what did you do to the succubus? Did you kill her?' Actually… not really. I just teleported her back to where she belongs to: Sakabasu Prison Facility. Why did I do that? Well, two reasons: 1) Issei and the others need the fighting experience, since foes are going to be stronger in the future (this is High School DxD after all) and 2) because they were the ones who suffered the most under the succubus and thus the most eligible to serve justice."

"Speaking about Issei and the others, don't worry. They're fine. They're back where they belong – or more specifically back to the Detention Facility. I just hope they'll be fine, dealing with the succubus and all… But… who says I can't help them out?"

"After all… I do owe them that. They freed me from that chair not too long ago…"

"Well, while we're here, let me check some of the things the succubus wrote, while I was gone… hmm… other than a few changes in the style I write… hmm… what she said about me was… pretty accurate… she's better than I gave her credit…"

"Also, I think it's a good opportunity to talk to you about my next plans for this story. You remember that inaccurate title of mine 'The Lone Vigilante Issei'? Well, let's say, I do have some plans to make the story more like the name of the title… soon…"

"Anyway, as for how Issei; Ddraig, Matsuda and Motohama will fare… well that's an issue for the next chapter on which I'll be working on soon."

"Sorry, for making this short, but I think this might be appropriate for the final stretch for the story. The final chapter is coming up and I'm pretty sure it will be quite long, but I'm not sure."

"Who will win the final fight? Issei and his friends? Or the fiendish succubus?"

"I hoped you enjoyed this story so far."

"Please rate and review."

"Until then…"

"Hide Shinyama…"

"Hmm… I really should take away the quotation marks and embolden my writing… They make my narration writing look really weird. I think I should change it right away…"

[…]

"What?"

[…]

"Why is it not working?"

[…]

"Hey, who is- Oh…"

[…]

"I see… it was you, wasn't it?"

[…]

"You know… I have to admit, that was a clever plan you came up with. Instead of just straight up telling the boys to take out the succubus through your friends, you figured letting the boys fall into the succubus' illusion spell was a better idea."

[…]

"All that planning, all that risk… just so that you could drag me into this. A good plan. I mean it. You knew Issei and the others needed all the help they could get, didn't you? Issei still hasn't honed his power to his fullest potential. We both know that. That's why you dragged me into this, right? After all, he was your best bet in taking the succubus out."

[…]

"However, that still doesn't change the fact that you deliberately dragged me in, just for this plan. Do you realize how agonizing it is to be tied up to a chair for what seems to be ages? I mean, please be more considerate!"

[…]

"No matter, let bygones be bygones… at least I'm alright… But still…"

[…]

"…you didn't do all this just to help Issei and take down the succubus, did you?"

[…]

"Indeed. I think I have a fair idea what you and your friends want."

[…]

"Yes, indeed… Why else would go through all that effort?"

[…]

"Well, you've got my attention now. I might as well accede to your request, even though I'm still ticked off at stunt you pulled…"

[…]

"It's just like you to do these kinds of things. Isn't that right… Monique?"

"You do realize that's not my name, right?"

"Of course, I do. It's just that I'm used to calling you that by now, even if it's not your real name, that's all. After all, your pseudonym does sound similar to your real name, Monique. Or should I say…"

"Teehee…"

"…Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club."


	23. Chapter 15 - Perverted Trio vs Succubus

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

Chapter 15 – Perverted Trio vs Succubus

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, shortly past 12:45 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, cellars_

"Ohhhh… Wha… what happened…?" Issei groaned, as he opened his eyes.

The moment he did so, he laid his eyes upon something before him. It was dark, but for some reason he could see through the darkness. The moment he saw what was before him, he widened his eyes in shock.

"WAAAHH!" Issei yelled and scrambled back without a moments delay. The reason for his reaction is because right in front of him were the dead bodies of the succubus' victims!

Issei's heart was beating wildly. His horrified eyes were still fixed on the bodies until Ddraig spoke up.

 **[Partner! You're awake, thank goodness!]** Ddraig spoke relieved. This distracted Issei from the bodies and towards his Partner.

"Ddraig! You're here!" Issei said half surprised, half relieved.

 **[Of course! Did you think I was going on a holiday or something?]** Ddraig joked.

"Well, umm… I… uh…" Issei tried to give Ddraig a smart retort, but couldn't because he couldn't think of any.

 **[All jokes aside for the moment]** Ddraig said, his demeanor turning serious. **[You don't have to worry about those bodies in front of us. They're dead. They won't do anything to you.]**

"Well…" Issei replied flustered. "I… I knew that!"

 **[Regardless…]** Ddraig continued. **[…what about young Matsuda and Motohama? Are they awake?]**

Issei blinked a few times, before snapping his fingers in realization that the two of them were still lying around here. He looked around and didn't need long to find their rousing forms lifting themselves of the ground with a groan.

"Ugh… Man, the floor is cold…" Matsuda complained, as he stood up.

"Yeah," Motohama agreed, while he stretched his arms upwards. "Mental note: Never sleep on a cold concrete floor… because 1) it's cold and 2) it hurts!"

"Totally," Matsuda agreed back.

"Guys! You're alright!" Issei called out relieved.

"So are you, dude," Motohama said, trying to look in Issei's general direction, since it was so dark in the cellar (he guessed his position by the sound of his voice).

"Yeah, and I'm also here. So, I guess we're all alive, huh?" Matsuda remarked with a smile.

 **[And me. Don't forget me…]** Ddraig added, annoyed at being left out.

"Tcch… Of course, yeah… And Ddraig…" Matsuda said with a click of the tongue.

Then the boys adjusted and knocked off the dust of their clothes for a while, before Issei spoke up in a somber tone.

"So… we were here all this time…"

"What is?" Motohama asked.

"No, I was just thinking… Everything we experienced with the girls… our time at school with them… the time we spent with them outside this prison… I still can't believe that all that was a dream…" Issei responded, as he looked down towards the ground.

"Yeah…" Matsuda said, becoming equally somber. "…and that all this time our memories had been manipulated by the succubus – just to get ourselves killed by it…"

"Yeah, it sucks, but… look at the bright side, though," Motohama said, trying to brighten the mood. "At least, our girlfriends helped us out of this mess… and look! We're all right! That's gotta be something, right?"

Matsuda and Issei didn't say a word. Motohama wondered when they were so quiet until Matsuda spoke up.

"Nathalie…" Matsuda whispered.

"Sally…" Issei whispered as well. "We don't know, if any of them are alive…"

Motohama was taken aback by their lack of optimism. But then he remembered Julie's disappearance and became as sentimental as his buddies. "Oh… Julie…" Motohama groaned, before shedding a tear in sadness.

 **[Will you three just man up!]** Ddraig interrupted their self-pitying session. This got their attention. Motohama even stopped his crying.

 **[You'll achieve nothing by crying like little wusses. What you three need to do, is to take out the succubus and end this nightmare. That is your mission. And the only way to do so, is to get your head into the game and come up with a plan. Understood?]** Ddraig rebuked them sternly.

All three were taken at Ddraig's rebuke, but they realized he was right and nodded in agreement.

 **[Good! Besides, you can worry about your girlfriends another time. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that they may still be alive]** Ddraig told them.

"You... Are you sure?" Motohama asked hopefully.

 **[I don't know… It's just a guess. Anyway, that's not the issue. We need to come up with a plan to beat the succubus]** Ddraig said, trying to set an agenda.

"Yeah… sure…" Matsuda answered and nodded.

"So… Anybody got ideas?" Motohama asked.

"I don't know…" Issei said, shrugging his shoulders. Just after he said that, he suddenly remembered something.

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _When you face off against the succubus, it might be best to dragonize your ears and eyes, too. The succubus likes to hide in the dark. That is why you need all the enhanced sense you need."_

* * *

 _Flashback end_

"Wait! I think I've got something!" Issei said suddenly, surprising the others.

"Huh?" Matsuda cocked an eyebrow.

"You do?" Motohama asked.

Issei nodded. "Remember earlier when we were in that illusion? I remember… getting instructions to dragonize my eyes and ears. I was told that that would help me to take out the succubus."

"Aah…" Matsuda gave out at Issei's answer. "…I think you told us about that before…"

"I think you told us that… though… Who told you that again?" Motohama wanted to clarify.

"A doppelganger did," Issei simply answered. This confused Motohama.

"A doppelganger?" Motohama asked confused.

"Yeah. A doppelganger is someone who looks exactly like you. I was taken into an illusion and that was where I met him," Issei explained, which confused Motohama even more.

"An illusion inside an illusion? How does that work?" Motohama asked again.

"Well… it was… You know what? Forget it. Explaining everything would take too long. What matters is that my doppelganger told me about all this and now we've got a plan," Issei summed up, not being in the mood to go through every single detail.

"Who do you think that doppelganger is anyway?" Matsuda asked next.

"I don't know… To be honest," Issei admitted. "Everything that's happened was a mystery to me, so don't ask me."

Matsuda and Motohama raised their eyebrows but then decided to leave at that.

"So… Do you have any ideas why dragonizing **only** your eyes and ears is necessary?" Matsuda asked this time.

"Yeah. Why not your arms or, heck, even your whole body?" Motohama added.

"I don't know…" Issei replied.

 **[Perhaps I can explain]** Ddraig offered.

"You do?" Issei asked curiously.

 **[Indeed. I have worked with numerous hosts who have dragonized themselves, so of course I would know. Anyway, the reason why Issei does not need to dragonize his whole body is two-fold. One: He only needs to do so for his eyes and ears because despite the succubus' craftiness, it is not a creature that is versatile in close-quarter combat]** Ddraig explained.

"Really?" Matsuda replied skeptically.

"Last time we fought her, she kicked me in the stomach with high-heels and let me tell you: That kick hurt!" Motohama countered.

 **[I didn't say she was incapable of close-quarter combat, I said she wasn't versatile in it. There is a difference]** Ddraig clarified to them. **[If you can force her into close combat situation like earlier, you may have a chance of beating her. However, you three should beware of any long-distance attacks or any of her illusion magic. These aren't easy to counter and can block certain senses, hence the need to dragonize the eyes and ears.]**

"Wait. You said there was another reason for not dragonizing my whole body. What is it?" Issei asked.

 **[The second reason, is although dragon scales are durable, strong and can protect you from a lot of things, there is a long-term major draw-back]** Ddraig explained.

"And what might that be?" Issei asked on.

 **[The draw-back is this: On the long-term, you will be weak to dragon-slayer weapons and magic, along with curses specialized in killing dragons]** Ddraig told them.

"Really?" Matsuda asked, as if Ddraig just said something illogical. "That's the second reason?"

 **[Indeed]** Ddraig confirmed. **[Once you dragonize, you can never truly revert your body back to that of a human. And so, when you encounter dragon-slayers or other anti-dragon specialists – and I believe that one day you will meet them, for that is the destiny of my hosts – you might have a hard time dealing with them.]**

"But, Ddraig," Issei interjected. "Wouldn't I be even more vulnerable to anti-dragon a human?"

 **[Not necessarily]** Ddraig answered. **[While generally humans are more vulnerable to magic than dragons, there do exist some forms of anti-dragon magic that kill dragons, while being non-lethal to humans.]**

"So… you're telling me that I should never completely transform into a dragon, right?" Issei asked, while leaning back against the wall.

 **[No]** Ddraig denied. **[What I'm saying is that you don't need to dragonize your body completely – for now. Dragonizing your body does have its advantages, despite the disadvantages. Besides, dragonizing your whole body is a long painful process, one that would take us too long and should be done once we've dealt with the succubus. But we'll discuss this issue at a late time.]**

"Well, ok. Good to now," Issei said, his curiosity satisfied. He removed his back from the wall and took the initiative.

"So… now that we've talked about that… Guys? Are those weapons of yours still lying around here?"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei's general direction in confusion (it was still dark, they couldn't see him properly).

"Weapons?" Matsuda asked confused.

"You know," Issei replied, while looking around for said objects. "Those makeshift weapons you guys took with you on our way down here… Ah! Found them!"

Issei immediately crouched down and took up the curtain pole. He got up and handed it over to Matsuda, who was a bit confused at first until he recognized its touch.

"Ooooh… those weapons…" Matsuda said, stretching the "oh" upon recognizing his makeshift staff.

Issei immediately went a bit farther and picked up something else, before going towards Motohama.

"What are you talki-" Motohama wanted to say, but was interrupted by Issei, who gave over the object he had picked up – a picture.

"Oh, now I remember…" Motohama groaned in annoyance. "It's that stupid picture of a dancing lion, isn't it?"

"It has a tutu on, but yeah. Right on the money," Issei said with a grin.

"Matsuda, can't we switch weapons? This thing sucks!" Motohama complained to Matsuda, but Matsuda refused.

"No way! It's my weapon! I found it first, so too bad!" Matsuda taunted his friend.

Motohama growled at that, but Ddraig broke up the fight, before it could escalate.

 **[Enough, you two! Be glad that anyone of you has something to be begin with. You're not in any situation to complain!]** Ddraig rebuked them.

The two of them calmed down at that and sighed deeply.

"Sorry, it's just…" Motohama began.

"… it's just unfair that unlike Issei we don't have any Boosted Gears or any cool powers. Heck, he can even dragonize his body for crying out loud! Why do we always get the short end of the stick?" Matsuda complained.

Upon hearing, Issei started to feel a bit guilty. Sure, he loved having the Boosted Gear and was proud to have it. Yet at the same time, he also didn't want to leave his friends behind in the dust either. If he were to become strong, he wanted to do it together with them, not without them.

 **[Partner]** Ddraig spoke to him. **[There's nothing to be ashamed of. People end up with Sacred Gears upon their birth. There is nothing you or anyone could do to change that. Some people end up with Sacred Gears…]**

Ddraig paused, as Issei turns his face to where Matsuda and Motohama stood, who were also listening to what Ddraig had to say.

 **[…and others don't]** Matsuda and Motohama sighed again.

"Are you sure that we don't have any Sacred Gears in us?" Matsuda asked Ddraig, hoping Ddraig may somehow be wrong.

 **[Unfortunately, not. I have tried to sense you two before and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary – including Sacred Gears. And most supernatural beings can sense Sacred Gears]** Ddraig told Matsuda to his disappointment.

"And me?" Motohama asked as well.

 **[That counts for you, too]** Ddraig replied, making Motohama fall to his knees.

"This is so unfair… Why us? Why does Issei get all the good stuff…?" Motohama mumbled.

 **[*Sigh* Get up you two]** Ddraig told Motohama with limited patience at their complaining. **[If it is magic or supernatural weapons that you want, then there are other ways to it without having to rely on Sacred Gears.]**

At that, Motohama and Matsuda perked up. Issei also raised his eyebrow at that.

"There are?" Matsuda asked.

"Tell us how?" Motohama followed up.

 **[Well… their mood changed quickly…]** Ddraig said to himself, before answering them. **[There are many magical arts and supernatural weapons of all kinds there. I'm not sure which ones might fit you two, but there might be something. Even if magic and weapons don't work out for you, you could get familiars to aid you, something that could come in very useful for you. You see, there are many ways to get "cool stuff" other than Sacred Gears. Besides, having a god-tier Longinus like mine is a huge responsibility and comes with a lot of baggage, too.]**

"Huh? There is?" Issei asked in shock.

 **[Indeed. Partner, I wasn't joking when I said earlier that you would face Dragon-Slayers in the future. In fact, you'll meet all kinds of strong enemies, like gods, dragons, angels and so on… that would want to kill you for all kinds of reasons. That is especially true for the White One, Albion.]**

"Oh, yeah… I forgot…" Issei said with a sweat-drop running down his nervous face.

 **[Do not worry, Partner. We'll get there when the time comes, but for now we start small. More specifically, we start with small fry – like the succubus. So, enough talk. I think we should get going, before the succubus takes advantage of our lack of action and attacks us first]** Ddraig reminded everybody of the task ahead of them.

Everyone nodded and prepared to leave.

'Fighting gods, huh? Boy, am I glad not to be in Issei's shoes…' Matsuda thought in relief.

'Issei is going to have it hard…' Motohama thought similar to Matsuda.

As they prepared to leave, Matsuda and Motohama looked around to find out where to go (since it was dark and they couldn't see).

Issei, on the other hand, went right past them towards a certain direction.

"Guys?" Issei spoke up, getting their attention. "The exit is this way."

Issei pointed with his thumb towards the exit (which Matsuda and Motohama couldn't see of course).

Wrinkling his eyebrows in consernation, Matsuda asked, "How could you possibly know that?"

"Uhh… dragonized eyes. Remember? I can see in the dark," Issei reminded Matsuda.

This caused him and Motohama to let out a big "Ohh…" upon hearing the answer.

"Right, we forgot," Motohama said. "In that case, you go on ahead," he gestured Issei to lead.

Issei nodded (despite knowing that Motohama can't see in the dark) and walked on ahead.

"This way, guys," Issei told them. Thus, the perverted quartet walked away towards the staircase at the other end of the hallway, leaving behind the pile of decaying corpses of the succubus' victims.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, shortly past 12:54 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway on the ground floor_

The facility was pitch black. All the lights were switched off. Thus, the perverted quartet had to rely on Issei to guide them through the darkness. Issei looked up and down the facility, weary of an ambush by the succubus. Matsuda and Motohama were trying their best to stay vigilant. Clenching their weapons, they looked up and down.

However, being unable to see in the dark did not make their job easier. What's more, it was raining outside and the raindrops were creating a sort of pattering sound. As a result, they had a hard time hearing anything. And so, they sharpened their ears to pick in any potential sounds from the succubus.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama moved slowly, in order not to make any loud footsteps. The last thing they needed was for the succubus to hear them.

While everyone was feeling tense for incoming attacks, Motohama suddenly had idea.

"Yo, Issei," Motohama spoke up, trying to get Issei's attention.

Matsuda and Issei nearly skipped a beat at that. They turned around and shushed him immediately.

"Be quiet! The succubus might hear us!" Issei whispered.

"Yeah, yeah…" Motohama whispered back. "It's just… I remembered something."

Issei raised his eyebrows. "Remembered what?" Issei asked in a whispering tone.

"Your gauntlet. You can use it as a torch. Why don't you switch it on?" Motohama suggested.

Issei shifted uncomfortably, unsure about the proposal.

"I don't know… What if the succubus sees us?" Issei asked quietly.

"Hey, you had no problem doing that last time, so why not now?" Motohama reasoned.

"Well… at the time we were trying to find that police man in the dark. We needed a flashlight at that time so we could find him better. Remember?" Issei reminded Motohama and Matsuda.

"Yeah, that's right. So?" Matsuda asked Issei.

"So… using the Boosted Gear as a light source was a necessity. Now, however, we're trying to ambush the succubus and take her out. Concealing the sound of our footsteps is easy because of the rain outside, but if we use a light, she might discover us sooner or later," Issei explained.

Matsuda and Motohama hummed in understanding at Issei's explanation.

"Good point," Motohama conceded.

"Oh, so that's why we're sneaking and whispering all the time," Matsuda realized, something that caused Issei his two friends to look at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Uhh… duh! What do you think we're doing? Going peeking on the kendo club?" Issei asked sarcastically.

"In my defense, in those situations we do that, too," Matsuda replied in jest, but quickly became serious. "But, say! If the rain can conceal our sounds – any of our sound – why are we even whispering? Heck, why are we even sneaking?" he said, pointing out how unnecessary their cautious behavior was.

Issei frowned at first, but then thought about it. After a moment of silence, he hit slapped his forehead out of frustration of his stupidity.

"I'm an idiot!" Issei admonished himself loudly, causing the others to flinch at the sudden loudness. "Why didn't I think of this before!?"

 **[Indeed, Partner. While you do have a lot of smart ideas, you're not immune from illogical thinking]** Ddraig said.

Issei frowned at that. "Yeah. Thanks for the wonderful compliment, Ddraig. I'm so happy that you have **so** much faith in me," Issei replied in a snarky fashion.

 **[Don't mention it]** Ddraig replied, ignoring his partner's sarcastic response. **[But I think even going around without a light is unnecessary. Switch on the light of the Boosted Gear, Partner.]**

Issei's frown turned into confusion. "Huh? How come?"

 **[I don't know, Partner. But for some reason I have a foreboding feeling of some kind. I don't know what it is, but… I get the feeling that the succubus won't be ambushing us on the way to her]** Ddraig tried to explain.

"She won't?" Matsuda spoke up.

"How can you be so sure?" Motohama asked.

 **[I don't know. I just feel it. Don't ask me why, but… whatever this foreboding sensation is, it's telling me that… the succubus is upstairs – in the office on the second floor]** Ddraig revealed to them.

The perverted trio widened their eyes upon hearing this.

"What? How do you know?"

 **[Like I said earlier: I don't know. It's just a sensation or revelation of some kind]** Ddraig tried to explain.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama looked at the Boosted Gear with skepticism on their faces. Sensation? Revelation? What could this mean? They tried to figure out where Ddraig might get such a revelation, until an idea popped in Issei's head.

"Ddraig, do you think this could be the succubus' doing?" Issei inquired.

 **[To be honest, I don't think so]** Ddraig replied honestly. **[For some reason, it just doesn't feel like anything the succubus might do. It feels… completely different from any vibe that I get from the succubus. It feels… much grander… knowledgeable… But I'm not sure…]** Ddraig tried to explain as best as he could, but even he was having trouble putting what he had witnessed in words – something that the perverted trio never expected Ddraig to have.

Trying to get back to more pressing issues, Motohama got everyone's attention.

"So, Ddraig," Motohama spoke up. "What do you suggest we do?"

Everybody looked at the Boosted Gear in anticipation, expecting Ddraig to say something.

Ddraig said nothing at first, but then came up with something and spoke up.

 **[People, I have a proposal]** Ddraig told the trio. **[If we presume that what I just heard was true – namely that the succubus is in the office on the second floor – then I suggest we make our way up there. However, whatever you do, do not rush in head-first! We need to have a bigger plan… a grander strategy in case the succubus has some tricks up her sleeves. And because of that, we need to put all available resources and tactical advantages to good use. Here's what you need to do: First, we need to…]**

Ddraig told Issei, Matsuda and Motohama of his plan and they all agreed with enthusiasm. They liked what Ddraig had in mind and decided to implement it.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, shortly past 01:03 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, second floor_

After less than five minutes or so, they reached the second floor. Just like the floors below, it was dark and without light. Yet, this time the perverted quartet was using the Boosted Gear as a light source to light the way.

"Pretty neat," Motohama said to Matsuda.

"Yeah," Matsuda replied with a grin. "It doesn't matter how often I see that thing. It never ceases to impress me."

"Yeah, though…" Motohama said with a bit of worry on his face. "…I hope that the plan will work."

"I hope so, too," Matsuda replied and took a deep relaxing breath. They were getting closer to where the succubus was and getting all stressed out wasn't going to help them.

Nevertheless, Matsuda, Motohama and Issei couldn't help but feel this way. After all, the memories of their last fight was still fresh on their minds. The succubus had used destructive orbs that could obliterate them, if they weren't careful. On top of that, they remembered how they had nearly been taken out by whatever close quarter combat she had – especially Motohama (Motohama still winces at the memory of being hit with high heels in the stomach). Thankfully, Issei managed to take out one of the succubus' arms and break a leg, but there was no guarantee that the succubus didn't have more tricks up her sleeve to compensate her injuries.

"Ddraig, are you sure it will work?" Issei asked Ddraig in worry.

 **[Partner, relax. It will work, unless you do it wrongly that is]** Ddraig consoled his host.

"Yeah… if we do it wrongly…" Issei murmured to himself.

They soon came to the entrance of the office on the second floor. The entrance of the room stood out simply because it had two doors standing side by side, thus making the entrance wider. It had a rather grand feel to it, as if it was the room to the final boss.

Issei gulped, before he looked to the left and the right where Matsuda and Motohama were standing respectively. Right now, the three of them were standing firmly side by side, like soldiers getting ready for battle.

Matsuda and Motohama turned to look at Issei. Issei saw in his face that the other two were also nervous and starting to sweat profusely. Issei mustered his courage and gave them a timid smile.

"This is it, guys," Issei said, trying to sound confident. "The final door."

"Yeah, the last boss…" Motohama remarked, as he turned his face back to the door.

"It's like a video game, except that this is real life," Matsuda added, staring at the door as well.

Nobody said a word after that. They just stared straight at the door.

"I can't believe that we've come so far…" Matsuda said.

"Yeah," Motohama agreed. "Getting thrown in jail… surviving an assassination attempt… getting sentenced in court… ending up here… getting girlfriends… getting out of an illusion… helping people… fighting enemies of all kinds…" Motohama listed the events they had to go through.

"…surviving each and every challenge and now…" Issei continued from there, as if continuing Motohama's thoughts as one. "…we're here. Ready to finish off the final boss – just like in video games or in the movies."

"I feel like everything we've been doing has been building up to this moment," Matsuda commented. "As if… this is the end."

"But wait, a sec!" Motohama spoke up quickly. "If this is the end, then… what are we going to do after that? I mean, where will we go? I doubt we'll stay, since it's a front for the succubus and not a real prison, so what are we going to do?"

Issei took a deep breath and tried to think of an answer. However, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't think of answer. What were they going to do? Is this really the end for their adventures? Somehow, this all felt so… incomplete. Sure, they went through a lot of trials and tribulations (more than anything he would wish on anyone), but it somehow didn't feel enough. What's more, Issei had the feeling that one way or the other the authorities would find out about this trick-pony of a prison and come fetch them. So… does this mean they'll serve out their sentence in another jail, except that whatever that jail might be, it will be worse?

Questions after questions came upon Issei's mind and he was getting worried. Matsuda and Motohama also started to get worries of their own, until Ddraig interrupted their thoughts.

 **[People, I know you have a lot of worries, but we can worry about them later. For now, we have a succubus that needs to be stopped. So, focus on the mission]** Ddraig told the trio.

That was exactly what they needed. Even though, they still worried about their future, they set their minds on what lay before them. Ddraig was right. Worries could be thought about later, the succubus, however, was their immediate priority – and their plan to take her down, too.

As one, they looked straight at the door, ready to go in. Issei looked at Matsuda and Motohama once more.

"Guys? You all know what to do?" Issei asked them with a serious look. Matsuda and Motohama looked back seriously, before they nodded.

"Yeah."

"Me, too."

Issei took in another deep breath, as he went for the door. He put his hand on the handle and looked back at his friends one last time.

"Good, then… I'm going in. I'm counting on you," Issei said to them with a smile, perhaps the last one he will ever give them. He readied to open it, but Matsuda called out to him, just before he did so.

"Issei?"

"Yeah?" Issei asked.

Matsuda and Motohama gave him their brightest grins ever.

"Good luck," Motohama said first with his thumb up.

"Kick her butt!" Matsuda cheered with his fist pumped into the air.

Issei chuckled, before turning his face towards the door.

Yes. He knew.

His body was ready.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear was ringing and Issei's power doubled.

"For Sally…" Issei whispered to himself the name of his girlfriend. The girl he first loved.

While Matsuda and Motohama stepped back out of sight, Issei pushed open the door and entered into the lion's den.

[…]

The office on the second floor was as dark as all the other places in the Sakabasu Detention Facility. However, Issei could sense an ominous presence in the room. He could smell the perfume filling the room. It smelled like rosewater or something like that. Issei wasn't sure, since he was no expert in perfumes, but he knew it wasn't always there.

 **[Boost!]** Issei's power doubled.

Issei scanned the room with dragon eyes and noticed several things.

The office to the second floor was rather big, compared to the office at the reception. The room was ten meters long, five meters wide and stretched five meters upward. Moreover, there were shelves on each side that reached from one end of the room to the other and almost all the way to the ceiling.

It had a much different vibe from any other room in the facility, almost as if it wasn't part of the facility at all.

'I guess, it does feel like a Boss Room,' Issei thought humorously.

 **[Boost!]** the Boosted Gear rang out again.

Looking at the other end of the "Boss Room", Issei saw a big desk, probably made of authentic oakwood or something like that. And behind the desk was an office chair that was facing the windows at the very end of the room.

It was when Issei saw the chair that he sensed someone.

Issei immediately readied himself to fight. For somebody was sitting on that chair, facing towards the window and omitting an ominous presence.

Issei needed no guessing to know who it was. His nose could easily make out who it was.

[…]

"I figured you would come by now…brat!" the succubus spat the last word contemptuously from behind the chair. "Where are the other two? Did they run away like cowards upon realizing my infinite powers?" the succubus said haughtily, forgetting about how well Matsuda and Motohama fought in their last skirmish.

Issei decided to ignore her taunts. Even though, he had fought against her before, he still couldn't help but feel unsettled by her. The succubus spoke with such malice that it sent chills down Issei's spine.

Nevertheless, Issei mustered his courage and decided to speak out.

"Forget out about them. You're dealing with me, you third-rate porn star," Issei retorted, trying to sound defiant as possible.

 **[Boost!]** the Boosted Gear doubled for the fourth time.

"Grrr…" the succubus growled, having a low tolerance for her victims insulting her. "…You… piece of crap!"

She turned around, revealing her face full of rage to the host of the Red Dragon Emperor, making him flinch back. Issei also noticed that her left arm was still missing from their previous skirmishes, leaving only a bandaged stump behind.

'Wow, no wonder she's so pissed! Then again, she got what she deserved,' Issei thought to himself.

"Do you know what you've done!? All my plans, all that hard work… are all gone because of you! Even my servants turned against me because of you!" the succubus bellowed at him.

The last statement caused Issei to recover from his shock, making him look at the succubus in disbelief instead.

"Servants…?" Issei said incredulously, before he became furious. "…Where are they? What did you to Sally!?"

The succubus smirked. "Oh, worried about them, eh? Well, let's just say… they won't be a bother to me ever again."

 **[Boost!]** it rang for the fifth time.

Issei couldn't take it anymore – both in regards to the Boosted Gear (of which he could only take 6 to 7 Boosts) and the succubus' hateful tone. "You b****!" Issei screamed, aiming his Sacred Gear towards the succubus.

 **[Partner, don't!]** Ddraig called out, causing Issei to stop at the last second.

'Why, Ddraig? Why shouldn't I just end her here?' Issei asked Ddraig mentally in frustration at being held back.

 **[Partner, she probably wants to provoke you so that she can take advantage of you! Besides, trying to shoot her when she can teleport whenever she wants is a stupid idea and a waste of all that energy you built up. Use your head instead!]** Ddraig explained to Issei with urgency.

'What about my Boosts!? I'm already near my limit!?' Issei asked Ddraig mentally in desperation because the Boosts of the Boosted Gear were making Issei feel like the gravity increased under him multiple times.

The succubus notices Issei's hesitation and ongoing fatigue and starts to mock him.

"Oh, you're trying to boost your power and are trying to hold it in. A foolish effort! A mere human like you can only boost so many times," the succubus gloated.

The succubus decided to teleport right in front of Issei. Issei gritted his teeth in anger, as he waited for Ddraig's answer.

"Too bad for you, I guess. Which is why… die…" the succubus' expression turned sinister, as she formed an orb at Issei with her remaining arm, intent on finishing him off with it.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear doubled power for the sixth time.

 **[The floors! Smash them, now!"]** Ddraig called out.

Issei wasted no time. He raised his gauntleted fist and smashed the floors with all his might.

[CRACK! CRASH!] the floor crunched beneath the weight of Issei's fist, as it gave way beneath the two of them, making them fall down the floor below..

"AAAGHHH!" the succubus cried out in surprise, as she was caught off guard by Issei's sudden move and thus misfired her orb towards one of the big shelves.

[BOOM!] the resulting explosion caused chunks of the wall, the shelf and the masses of books on the shelf to come crashing down upon them, as they fell. The debris (especially the books) caused the two of them to be significantly buried underneath them.

Issei hit the floor below and was temporarily winded and helpless to do anything regarding the falling avalanche of books burying him underneath. He was lucky the harder debris, like the rocks, didn't hit him or else it would have been bad for him.

 **[Reset!]** The Boosted Gear called out, as Issei lost all his previously boosted strength and reverted back to his normal strength.

"*cough* *cough*" Issei coughed underneath all those books and debris and crawled away from some of the debris and towards the nearest wall.

 **[Partner, are you all right?]** Ddraig called out to his partner.

"*cough* *cough* Yeah, I'm fine," Issei responded coughing, as he rested against the wall of the room he had crashed down into. "Just… tell me the next time I have to do something… a little bit quicker, OK? *cough* *cough*"

 **[Well, the next time only boost up your strength two or three times and keep it at that level. There's no need for you to reach your boost limit with an opponent like this]** Ddraig told Issei.

"Noted," Issei said, as he checked his surroundings. The room he was in seemed to be another room for inmates, but with all the debris and books lying around it was hard to tell.

Suddenly, from other end of the room from where Issei was, there was an explosion that sent debris of rocks and shelf remains flying. At the center of it all was the succubus who was seething with fury.

"WHERE ARE YOU, MAGGOT!? COME OUT SO I CAN KILL YOU!" she shouted, looking around furiously for Issei. Issei, who was thankfully still obscured from the succubus' view, scrambled to get away. He saw the door right next to him, grabbed the handle, quickly opened it and fled right through the door.

The succubus noticed this and growled angrily. "Found you…"

In the hallway with Issei

Issei was currently running as fast as he could as far away from the succubus as possible. 'Got to go faster! I have the feeling that she's hot on my heels!'

[BOOM!]

"WAAAH!"

Issei yelped, as the door and the wall nearby exploded revealing the (of course) furious succubus.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME!" the succubus screamed. To Issei's horror, he saw that she has wings and that she was swiftly flying after him.

Issei picked up his speed in a panic, running as fast as he could. Suddenly, his senses were tingling and he instinctively kept his head down, only to see an orb rush right above him and causing an explosion on the wall up ahead. It left a huge crater. If Issei hadn't ducked, his head would have been disintegrated!

'I just KNEW it…' Issei groaned internally, before turning to Ddraig and the Boosted Gear. 'DDRAIG! ANY IDEAS!? I COULD NEED SOME RIGHT, NOW! OTHERWISE I'M TOAST!' Issei screamed to Ddraig internally.

Ddraig tried to calm him down, but then suddenly had an idea.

 **[Partner, listen to me. I've got an idea, but you must do as I say** ] Ddraig told him urgently.

Issei nodded, as he didn't have time to think. And if Ddraig had any ideas, why not?

 **[Boost!]** Issei doubled his power from his base strength, as he almost reached the part of the hallway that only allows a turn to the left.

The succubus fired another orb before Issei came to the end of the hallway and bounded right around the corner – just before the orb could have hit him, causing it to hit the wall again and destroy it once again.

Meanwhile, the succubus was laughing sadistically. "YOU CAN'T FROM ME! I'LL FIND YOU… AND I'LL KILL Y-" she wanted to finish her sentence, but as she prepared to fly around the corner…

"AUGH!" a Dragon Shot hit her torso squarely, causing her to fly back and hit the wall behind her. The impact from Issei's Dragon Shot knocked the breath out of her, leaving her stunned in addition to her outfit to be somewhat singed.

As the succubus was still slumped against the wall in a daze, a **[Boost!]** came from Issei's Boosted Gear.

Issei, who apparently had waited for her to come around the corner to take a shot at her, was rushing at her with a roar and had thrown a punch to her face with his gauntleted fist, knocking her to the floor. Issei mounted her and punched her some more. With his increased strength, his punches and kicks were especially effective against the succubus, as she received painful blows to her face and her torso. It would have been the end of the fight, if the succubus didn't have some tricks up her sleeve, preparing some magical spell to get Issei off her.

Ddraig, however, sensed it before it went off.

 **[Partner! Get away from her! Now!]** Ddraig practically yelled, causing Issei to comply without a moment's delay.

Sure enough, a burst of black smoke covered the succubus with immediate effect. Issei retreated, as the smoke expanded towards his direction.

"That again…" Issei remarked, as he recognized the smoke attack that was right before him. He fired another Dragon Shot that cleared the smoke away and blasted the wall in the way, throwing rubble and dust into the air. Issei covered his face, while coughing.

Once the dust had cleared and he looked up, the succubus was gone.

Upon realizing this, Issei slumped down to the ground in exhaustion.

 **[Reset!]** the Boosted Gear sounded, as Issei's strength returned back to normal.

He was panting heavily, exhausted from running and doling out punches and thus needed some rest. However, Ddraig had other ideas.

 **[Partner, get up. There's no time to rest. You need to stay alert for any imminent attack from the succubus]** Ddraig ordered Issei.

Issei frowned upon hearing this. "Ddraig, give me a break…" Issei complained. "…she's gone. So, what's there to worry about?"

 **[She has only teleported herself away temporarily. Once she finds out that you're exhausted and unable to fight, she can just as easily teleport herself back again. So, get up]** Ddraig told Issei sternly, as a commanding officer would to his subordinate.

Groaning, from fatigue, Issei used the wall to help reluctantly prop himself.

After catching his breath, Issei spoke up.

"You think Matsuda and Motohama will be fine?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[Somehow, I don't think so. For one, the succubus has been too busy dealing with you that she hasn't been able to deal with those two. Plus, I don't hear any signs of battle anywhere in the facility, so I think they are fine]** Ddraig assured Issei.

"That's good to know…" Issei said with a sigh of relief.

 **[Nevertheless]** Ddraig responded. **[You need to stay on your guard. Right now, you are her biggest threat. I can imagine she would want to take you down first, before fighting the other two. So, keep watch. Use all your senses to detect her presence. In this dark and quiet environment, it is vital to do so because she likes to use stealth to ambush her prey.]**

"Well… good point…" Issei said, while stretching his arms in order to get back into the game.

As a result, Issei was walking in another part of the hallway on the 1st floor, using all his senses around him. Just like the rest of the facility, it was dark all over the place. Issei may have eyes that enable him to see in the dark, but that just makes him feel like he is playing a video game. More specifically, a horror video game where the monster can pop out of nowhere and kill you. The only difference is that this is real life!

Issei just hoped the succubus would come out soon, so he could just end this nightmare!

 **[Partner. Calm down]** Ddraig told Issei. **[Getting nervous won't help you at all. In a situation like this, losing your nerve pretty much guarantees losing your life.]**

"Uhuh…" Issei responded tensely. He realized Ddraig was right, but that still didn't soothe him.

Issei looked left… and right…

He used his magnified sense of hearing to detect her, but there was no sound.

Issei looked above him and below…

He tried to sniff her this time, but to no avail.

Issei looked even harder left… then right… the up… and below…

He tried to hear out suspicious sounds… until he heard something… strange… like a whirring… like an energetic ball from behind the door to the right.

It was then that Issei leapt back in caution!

Suddenly, the door burst from its hinges and flew into the wall to the left of Issei, nearly hitting him.

'That attack… but that is…' Issei realized, as let his Boosted Gear make another **[Boost!]** sound.

"HA! I've got you!" the succubus shouted triumphantly, having revealed her position from within the room to Issei's right.

Once the succubus came out, having not noticed Issei, the latter decided that now was the chance and thus readied a punch. The succubus turned her head and widened her eyes in surprise at her prey being alive. But it was too late for her to do anything.

[WHAM!]

"AUGH!" the succubus yelped, as the Boosted Gear hit her face and sent her flying into the wall at the end of the hallway ten meters away. She landed with an impact, strong enough to make her to cause her head to bleed.

Seeing the succubus in a helpless position, Issei rushed to attack her, though the succubus quickly recovered and released another mist to obscure herself from Issei's view. Issei stopped and readied a Dragon Shot, but the sound of energy whirring from the mist, caused him to hesitate.

 **[Partner! Move out of the way!]** Ddraig shouted and sure enough three orbs came flying towards Issei one by one, intent on killing him.

Issei quickly complied and threw himself flat to the ground, making the succubus' energy orbs miss their target. Issei growled in annoyance, as he fired his Dragon Shot, while on the ground. The Dragon Shot cleared the mist and hit the wall with a blast, but with no succubus in sight.

"Drat! Missed again!" Issei cursed, as he got up from the ground. While he cleared the dust from his clothes, he wondered whether he would ever be capable of taking down the succubus. The way things are going, it might take forever, if anything.

 **[You musn't lose hope, Partner]** Ddraig told his host. **[You did pretty well, avoiding her attacks and doling out blows on her. Keep this up and she'll be defeated in no time.]**

"I hope you're right…" Issei said to Ddraig, as he looked at the wall where that he had destroyed. "…though I do wish she could just go die already."

 **[Partner. It's called a fight for a reason. It's not just because you're fighting against an opponent. It's also a fight because you're fighting against yourself]** Ddraig explained.

Issei was confused. Himself?

 **[Yes, like your impatience or your insecurities. Any of these weaknesses can be exploited, if you're not careful. What you need to do is to make sure the enemy does not use these weaknesses against you. Instead, find out their weaknesses and use it against them]** Ddraig lectured Issei on the subject of weaknesses.

"Yeah, yeah… I know…" Issei said dismissively, as he set his mind back into being vigilant. "Where off next?"

 **[Try going downstairs. She might be hiding there]** Ddraig suggested.

"Good idea…" Issei nodded, as he went in direction of the staircase.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, shortly past 01:18 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, first floor, staircase_

Issei was looking around, as he came to the staircase area. It was also dark and not easy to see. For that reason, Issei had to be careful not to trip over the stairs or slip and fall. Matsuda had tripped over the staircase once, some time ago and Issei didn't want to hurt himself.

As Issei took his first step towards the staircase to the floor below, something happened – musically.

((Tip-toe through the window

By the window, that is where I'll be…))

The appearance of the music was so sudden and so loud that Issei slipped and fell on his back, sliding a few steps downward. Issei groaned with his back sore from landing on the stairs, as he picked himself up.

Was that… music? If he didn't know any better, he'd say that this is a Tiny Tim song. Now that he though about, it had to be right? But forget about that. Where did that even come from? It seemed to be coming from downstairs, but… Why was it even playing?

"Ddraig! There's some loud music playing downstairs! What do I do!?" Issei asked Ddraig loudly, trying to speak over the rather loud music.

 **[I suggest we look for the source is! Find out who's playing it!]** Ddraig told Issei.

Issei complied and made his way downstairs slowly.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, shortly past 01:19 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, ground floor_

As Issei made his way to the ground floor the music got really loud – to the degree that he had to close his ears with his hands. It's already loud for enough for a human, but a dragon has it even worse, which is why the loud music was unbearable for Issei.

Gritting his teeth, Issei tried to find out where the music was coming from. Issei realized it came from the lunch hall and so made his way over there. Passing through the hallway, he reached the entrance and peered in, trying to find the source of the obnoxiously loud music in question. Sure enough, there was a set of loudspeakers he had never seen before, which is where the music came from.

Issei pondered on what to do, whether to just go there and pull the plug or just stay away in general, since the sound of it is killing his ears. While Issei was thinking this, Ddraig called to him once again.

 **[Partner! Before you do anything else, it's wise to look around the room first. You may not know if the succubus may be hiding somewhere!]** Ddraig warned Issei.

Issei frowned at that for a bit, but decided not to argue and scan the room with his dragonized eyes. Issei took in the darkened room with his night-vision, starting with the loudspeakers (nothing to see here other than them being the source of Issei's current torment) … then the blinds covering the kitchen (nothing there) … the tables where everyone would eat lunch (nothing there either) … the upper left corner of the ceiling (which should have been a blind spot for Issei upon entering the lunch hall) … huh? Was that a glowing orb?

It was then that Issei widened his eyes and saw the succubus lying in wait and aiming another shot at him.

Issei quickly jumped away, as the orb flew towards him. As Issei did so, three things happened:

One, Issei let go of his ears, as he landed with a roll on the hallway floor, causing the loud music to assault his ears – to Issei's agony.

Two, the explosion from the orb destroyed the entrance of the lunch hall, causing debris and dust to fly, thus leaving Issei vulnerable, as he not only has to deal with painfully loud music, but also with dust obscuring his view.

Three, because of reasons on and two, Issei was lying on the ground completely vulnerable and helpless to do anything.

Issei tried to regain his bearings and stand up. But was then kicked in the face by an angry succubus who appeared in front of him via teleportation.

Issei groaned in pain, only to then scream, as the succubus slammed her high heel into his chest.

"YOU PIECE OF S***! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" she shouted, as she rammed her foot into his stomach. Issei said nothing, only gritting his teeth in pain. He tried to do something with his hands, but the loud music prevented him from thinking clearly, which is why he resorted to closing his ears.

"YOU HAVE CAUSED ENOUGH TROUBLE BY RUINING MY PLANS, BUT NO MORE!" she shouted menacingly, as she stomped on him again, making Issei grunt in pain.

"NOW… BURN IN HELL!" she shouted dramatically, as she readied another orb to finish Issei for good.

 **[Partner, get up!]** Ddraig shouted. **[If you don't, you'll die!]**

Issei tried to say something, but couldn't from the pain. Was this really the end?

Right, as she was about to fire, she jerked and screamed in pain. Issei looked in utter surprise. What was…?

It was then that Issei saw a knife sticking into the succubus' left shoulder, causing it to bleed like crazy. The succubus fell to the ground next to Issei writhing and screaming in pain. Standing right behind the succubus all this time, as it turns out, were…

"Matsuda… Motohama…" Issei said weakly, as he looked up at Motohama and Matsuda, the latter having bloody hands. Issei deduced that it was Matsuda who stabbed her.

Motohama looked at Issei with concern, as he knelt beside him.

"DUDE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Motohama asked out loud because of the music.

"To… loud… can't… hear… you…" Issei gave out.

"WHAT!?" Motohama shouted.

"The… music… ugh…" Issei groaned because of the music.

It was then that Motohama realized that Issei was closing his ears for a reason. "OH! THE MUSIC! I'M ON IT!"

Motohama rushed without a moment's delay, made his way through the rubble on the floor and into lunch hall. After a few seconds of searching, he pulled out the plug from the speakers, thus ending the noise.

Issei let go off his ears in relief, as Matsuda helped him up.

"Issei. You all right?" Matsuda asked Issei, as Issei was on his feet.

"I'm fine…" Issei replied, clearing off the dust from his clothes. "Just… feels like my head is ringing, that's all…"

"Really? Nothing else?" Motohama asked, as he came back to where Issei and Matsuda were in the hallway.

"Well… maybe a bit of pain from having high heels on my body… Now I know how you felt earlier, Motohama. High heels really do hurt," Issei said to Motohama jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood.

Matsuda and Motohama chuckled at that until the cries of the succubus brought them back to the situation at hand. She had just pulled out the knife out of her shoulder and was currently whimpering in pain. Before she could do anything else, Issei kicked the knife out of her hand.

"Looks like the tables have turned again, huh?" Issei remarked with a catchy/cheesy one-liner.

"You…" the succubus half-growled, half-groaned. Then she looked at Matsuda and Motohama. "…Where did you two come from…?"

"Surprised to see us?" Matsuda asked with a smirk. "You didn't actually think that we would let Issei fight you on his own, did you?"

"Yeah, no way we're ever going to be left out of the action. We've come this far together, so why should we back off?" Motohama added with his arms folded in front of his chest.

"But… ugh… how?" the succubus asked, still immobilized by the pain of the stab wound. "How did you sneak behind me unnoticed…? I would have noticed if you bugs were…"

"Heh, if only you did," Issei responded triumphantly, as he massaged his sore body for a bit. "You see, Ddraig figured that going against you head-on was a dumb idea, so we had to come up with something. That's when we remembered something about you. You always act so high and might – and short-tempered, too – which we all used to our advantage."

 **[Indeed]** Ddraig spoke up this time. **[Originally, our plan was for Issei to provoke you and then wear you out for a bit. Matsuda and Motohama here would have snuck up from behind you once you were weakened enough and then finished you off with those knives they took from the kitchen.]**

"We figured that you would get so caught up with Issei that you would forget about us," Matsuda continued explaining. "After all, why would you? We're just ordinary humans. We don't have any fancy weapons or magical or Sacred Gears like Issei does. It was when Ddraig pointed that out that we decided to use your arrogance to our advantage."

"The only thing we didn't take into account was that the battle would go all over the facility. I mean, smashing into first floor from above? That's pretty extreme, if you ask me, Issei," Motohama commented impressed, but also with slight disapproval.

Issei rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ahaha… Well, I had to do something… She was almost going to kill back there," Issei defended himself.

"Oh, yeah? Well consider yourself lucky. Motohama and I were this close…" Matsuda showed with his fingers, leaving a centimeter's gap between his thumb and index finger. "…to breaking off the plan and just rush out to help you. Except that Matsuda here thought it was a better idea to follow you in secret until the succubus revealed herself so that you could take her down."

Issei looked at the two of them in surprise. "You were following me all this time?" Issei voiced incredulously.

"Yeah," Matsuda nodded. "It was pretty nerve-wrecking if you ask me. Waiting until the succubus finally appeared and hoping she didn't spot us… Man, that was torture! It felt like a horror game of some kind – especially when the music started playing!"

"To be honest, even I didn't expect that the succubus had loudspeakers downstairs. When we went down the dinner hall, I don't remember even seeing those things. How did she even get those down there?"

"I suppose she has her ways," Issei shrugged nonchalantly, before his face took on a happy grin. "But, boy! You came in the nick of time. Any sooner and I would have been dead! Thanks, Matsuda."

"Don't mention it…" Matsuda said with an uneasy look on his face. "…though I'd rather not stab anyone any time soon…"

"Well, don't worry, man!" Motohama patted Matsuda's shoulder. "At least, it's over now…"

Everyone smiled at that… but then the succubus started to laugh, despite the pain from her injuries, causing everyone's attention to turn towards her.

"Ahahahaha… *cough* *cough*" she laughed, as she started to cough up blood. "You think it's over? Think again…"

It was then that the succubus pulled out a black cube from her cleavage. It had a mysterious black energy pulsating from it.

"Now… *cough* *cough* You can die…" she said with a smirk, as she threw it down to the floor.

 **[Wait! Stop her!]** Ddraig called out, but to no avail. The cube burst open and revealed a black portal that sucked everybody in.

"WHAT!?"

"YAAAH!"

"NOOOO!"

The trio of perverts tried to grasp on something… anything to keep them from being sucked in, but it was no use. All three of them were sucked in, including the succubus who was laughing.

"Ahaaahaaahaaahaaaaa…" the succubus laughed triumphantly, as the portal closed behind them in the dark dimension.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, about 1:41 am – ?, ?_

[…]

Issei groaned, as he stirred. He opened his eyes, but found it strange that despite doing so, it was all pitch black. In fact, everywhere Issei looked was only darkness with no features. What's more, the air felt… thick… like it was hard to breathe… Issei slowly breathed in, trying to take in as much oxygen as possible, as he tried to check his surroundings.

 **[Partner, are you awake?]** the voice of Ddraig appeared.

"Ddraig…?" Issei spoke weakly. "Where… are we…?"

 **[Partner, we're in a different dimension… one with a huge essence of dark energy]** Ddraig answered Issei.

"A different dimension…?" Issei asked confused.

 **[Yes]** Ddraig replied. **[I've seen this once before when your two friends and I were saving this mysterious fellow not too long ago. Whatever this energy is, it's intended to weaken us… even suffocate us…]** Ddraig said ominously.

It was then that Issei widened his eyes upon remembering something. "Matsuda… Motohama…" Issei looked around for his two friends, but to no avail.

 **[Partner, use the light of the Sacred Gear. Hurry!]** Ddraig urged him.

"Yeah…" Issei answered and sure enough, after using the green jewel as a light, Issei saw them lying unconscious and motionless on the ground.

"Guys…" Issei called out, as well as he could. He jogged up to them and tried to rustle them awake. But nothing happened. Issei was starting to get worried.

 **[Partner, they're still breathing, but they're unconscious]** Ddraig told Issei, much to the latter's relief.

"That's good to know…" Issei sighed. "…But… what do we do now…?"

((Now… you die! Ahahaahahaahaha…)) the succubus' voice echoed through the dimension.

Issei turned to face her, but because it was dark and the voice was echoing, he couldn't figure out where she was.

"You… show yourself!" Issei called out angrily, as best as he could.

The succubus just laughed mockingly in reply. ((Ahahahaha… It is useless… useless… You will never find me in this dimension…))

"You little… *cough* *cough*" Issei coughed because of the thick, oppressive air and started to fall on one of his knees.

((Aah… aah… That's no good…)) the succubus mocked Issei. ((In this dimension, **I** am in control. The air in here is so thick, it will suffocate you to death along with your friends…))

"Curse you… when I get to you *cough*…" Issei coughed some more. He was starting to get dizzy and was trying hard to stay conscious.

This time, the succubus growled. ((Always trying to resist… foolish brat! It's because of you and that damn dragon of yours that my plans always fail! I should have just killed you the moment I laid eyes on you in that prison cell in Kuoh!))

That caught Issei's attention. "Prison…?"

((Oh, yes… I've been watching you and your friends ever since then… You were young, had hormones and thus were the perfect food for me…)) the succubus told Issei. ((You don't realize how long I had to wait for this. Disguising myself as a lawyer to earn your trust… hypnotizing the judge to sentence you to my facility… It was a long wait, but well worth it…))

 **[So, it was your scent back then. I knew it…]** Ddraig growled angrily.

"Wait, lawyer…? Kashiwazaki-san…?" Issei said, saying the name of the friendly attorney that had helped them in their court ordeal.

((Yes, that was I…)) the voice of Mr. Kashiwazaki echoed through the dark void, before turning back into that of the succubus'. ((…and it should have been a child's play getting you three buttered up in prison, ready to be devoured… but of course I should have known better than to underestimate the Red Dragon Emperor… In fact, I should have never frightened off Motohama by saying hello that one time. You would have never been paranoid then… and I wouldn't have lost my arm!)) she shouted at the end.

Issei did not respond, as he tried his best to stay awake, but slumped to the ground.

 **[Partner!]** the worried voice of Ddraig called out.

"Haah… haah… so… hard… to… *cough* breathe…" Issei said with raspy breathing.

((Ahaahahahaha… I will enjoy my time watching the life fade away from you, as I feed on your life force… But there's no rush. I'll bide my time until you're weak enough and then I will feed on your corpse! Ahahahaha…)) the succubus gloated with delight at the thought of devouring the human trio.

Ddraig took note of that and decided to ask the succubus one final question.

 **[Tell me one thing, before you kill my host. There's no way a succubus like you could have the powers create powerful dark dimensions like this one or even travel through dimensions. Where did you get these powers from?]** Ddraig challenged the succubus.

The succubus said nothing, as if contemplating, only to answer with a "Hmpf!"

((Are those your last words? I don't like anyone questioning my abilities like that. But since it's your last wish, I shall tell you)) the succubus responded, deciding to be generous just this once.

((About one year ago… I was just an ordinary succubus travelling around just doing what succubi do… seducing humans and then feeding off their energy… but it was then that a portal opened and sucked me in. I didn't know where I was. It was dark and featureless – like this one except even more empty and without ground. It was there that I met a fearful and frightful dragon… one that makes you look like a lizard by comparison. I trembled in fear as I asked what the dragon wanted from me. The dragon told me that he wanted me to clear out an unknown "mess" inside his dimension, his "home" as liked to call it. I went to the offending "mess" and saw that there were a lot of bits in it… the kind of bits you would find on devices of electricity… That was when I heard a voice, asking me to help them… asking me to free her and her friends from their loneliness and despair. While I contemplated on what to do, something hit me. My mind was filled with knowledge, omniscient knowledge of everything… in this world and outside of it… It felt like I could see… for the first time in my entire life! It was astounding… and it was after that that I agreed. It was then that she took form… and her friends… The dragon, being grateful, let me go back to our world – with the girls, of course. By the way, they are people who you know very well…))

"Sally… and the others… *cough*" Issei whispered quietly upon realization, as he lay on the floor.

((That's right! It was none other than your beloved girlfriends who I helped out! All of them come from a different dimension… another world! Unfortunately, that world was destroyed, so there was no way for me to visit it. But with the knowledge that I obtained, I knew… that there was a way to gain absolute control… over this world…)) the succubus said in excitement.

 **[And what might that be?]** Ddraig asked the succubus.

((Taking over the author's position… his power… powers of the one who decides the flow of the story…)) the succubus said, her voice getting giddy with excitement.

 **[Author?]** Ddraig questioned.

((Someone like you could not possibly understand. Only I know about this and no one else)) she declared arrogantly. ((But you… you ruined everything and not only getting omnipotence but from my well-deserved meal as well! And for that… You will die slowly and painfully! I will devour you… soon… Ahahahaha…. AHAHAHAHAHHAAHAAAAHAHHHH!)) the succubus laughed evilly, her voice echoing through the void.

 **[Partner… are you ok?]** Ddraig asked, concerned for his partner.

"I don't know… *cough*" Issei coughed out.

 **[Partner… you musn't give up! Get up! Now!]** Ddraig told Issei urgently.

"Ddraig… I'm sorry… *cough* If I had just… finished her off earlier… *cough* This wouldn't… have happened…" Issei said remorsefully.

 **[Don't go dying on me now! Do you want to go down… as one of the weakest hosts that I've ever had!]** Ddraig practically shouted at the end.

"But… what else can I do…? *cough* I… My mind… is all dizzy… even moving… thinking is hard…" Issei tried his best speaking, but with great difficulty.

 **[Partner! Don't you…]** Ddraig started to rant in frustration.

"I'm sorry… Ddraig…" Issei apologized before falling unconscious.

 **[PARTNER!]** Ddraig screamed.

* * *

 _Inside Issei's mind_

'I failed… the first serious opponent… I couldn't beat her… my only victories were just lucky shots… I'm… so… pathetic… Forgive me… Ddraig… Matsuda…. Motohama… Mom… Dad… Nathalie… Julie… Monique…'

Issei started to shed a tear when he came to the last name.

'…Sally…'

"Don't tell me you're giving up now," a voice calls out to Issei.

'Who…?'

"Is that all you've got, me?" the voice asked.

'You're…'

It was then that another double of Issei appeared. No, rather it was the same double from before.

"Indeed, I am. So, let me ask you again: Is that all you've got?"

'What? But…'

"*Sigh* I always have to do all the hard work, don't I? Look here. Remember about what I said earlier about never giving up? Having wits and a well-planned strategy can most certainly help you to victory. But you must never forget willpower."

'Willpower…?'

"Yes, willpower. You certainly did do well to remember your promises and your friends, but it is willpower that drives you to fight – for your friends and for what you believe in. Of course, you shouldn't rush in without thinking, like a bull in a china-shop, but still…"

'Yeah, but… I'm too weak… I can't do it…'

"You won't know until you try."

After a moment of silence, the alternate Issei stepped forward and put his hands on Issei's shoulders and gave him a firm look.

"The only thing that's preventing you from defeating the succubus is your own doubt. So, quit whining. Get up. Only then will you be able to beat the succubus."

'But… how…?'

"You'll figure out, once you get there."

The doppelganger gave Issei a grin, before vanishing.

Issei said nothing. He wiped his tears away, as he realized… that his doppelganger was right.

He couldn't give up yet.

He hadn't even given his all.

Matsuda… Motohama… they were still out there. They needed his help and he'd be damned if he let them die.

It was then that Issei decided to muster everything he had to awaken.

* * *

 _Back in the dark dimension_

Issei slowly opened his eyes, as he heard the sound of footsteps come closer. Then a silhouette appeared from the shadows coming towards him, high-heeled shoes coming into view. She was ten meters away.

Issei quickly realized it was the succubus. She was about to kill him but what could he do?

Issei noticed that he was lying with his stomach on his left arm. That was where the Boosted Gear normally was, but was now absent after Issei fell unconscious.

That was when it hit him. Now, he knew what his doppelganger was talking about…

Issei summoned the Boosted Gear, hoping that the succubus wouldn't see him and started boosting his power. He was still not feeling well because of the thick air, but if he didn't pull this off, he was dead!

Thankfully, the succubus didn't notice. Instead, she smirked, as she approached Issei with an intention to finish him off once and for all.

"Finally, you are mine… mine to devour!" she said half to herself, half to what she thought was Issei's unconscious body. "First, I'll devour you, then I'll devour your friends and then… I'll get revenge on that fool Hide Shinyama for putting me through all that misery…"

Issei clicked his tongue. He has had enough of the succubus and her arrogant grating voice. He may not know who this Hide Shinyama is or what he did to her, but that didn't matter.

It was time to put an end to this – once and for all!

As the succubus had come just within two feet from him, Issei suddenly pulled out his left arm with his Boosted Gear on it and held his hand out to do the deed.

 **[Boost!]** the Boosted Gear powered up for the seventh time.

"WHAT!?" the succubus cried out in horror and shock, standing where she was as if paralyzed.

"You'll do nothing… ever again…" Issei croaked out, the Boosted Gear at Issei's maximum strength tolerance level.

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

The succubus moved to the side just a fraction of a second after Issei fired point-blank.

"WAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!" the succubus cried out of severe pain, the Dragon Shot may not have obliterated her as Issei had hoped, but it did obliterate her legs completely, leaving the already one-armed succubus with no legs at all. She fell on the ground, while rolling around in agony.

"AAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHHHHHH! WAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" she continued to scream in torment, while Issei raised himself up, despite the thick air.

Issei used the remainder of his time (before the **[Reset!]** kicked in) to deliver one final blow.

"TAKE… THIS!" Issei yelled, as he put all his strength and emotion into his gauntleted fist.

[SQUELCH!]

The succubus' screaming stopped, as Issei punched clean through her chest and into her heart.

Issei panted heavily and fell back, as he fell unto his back unconscious right next to the succubus' corpse.

 **[Reset!]**

The Boosted Gear disappeared, as his strength left his body.

Issei smiled, despite being unconscious, for he was aware…

It was over.

The succubus had been vanquished.

The nightmare has finally ended.

Unbeknown to him, the dark dimension slowly but surely turned brighter and brighter.

A minute later, Matsuda stirred and then he saw… the miracle that was the dimension of darkness turning to daylight… like when the dawn arises and erases the night.

Motohama also stirred not too long after that, getting Matsuda's attention.

"Wh-what happened…?" Motohama asked groggily.

Matsuda hushed him. "Watch… just watch…"

"What the…" Motohama wanted to ask again, but the sight of the dimension turning white was too wonderful to ignore. It didn't feel natural and yet it felt so beautiful, too. The two of them just sat there, side by side, just staring at the beautiful sight in front of them.

Suddenly, the two of them remembered something. Something they forgot.

""ISSEI!"" the two of them shouted. They looked around them and saw the grotesqueness that was the mangled corpse of the succubus and Issei's body right next to it.

They flinched in shock and disgust at first, but then looked at each other and then hesitatingly made their way towards Issei.

He looked so bloody, tired… was he the one who killed the succubus? Just what kind of fight did Issei put up? Regardless, they shook him awake and so he did.

"Ugh… man… what…?" Issei tried to form words, but Matsuda beat him to it.

"Dude! Are you ok?" Matsuda asked.

Issei just chuckled. "You don't have to ask me that **that** often, man…" Issei joked, before looking to the ever-whitening dimension.

"What's happening…? Why is everything becoming white…?" Issei asked, as he shielded his eyes from the brightness.

"We don't know. We just woke up," Motohama answered with a shrug.

"Besides," Matsuda spoke up. "What happened? How did you beat the succubus?"

"Ugh… maybe some other time…" Issei answered with tiredness.

 **[Partner, I'm glad you're alive]** Ddraig said with relief in his voice.

"Ddraig, good to know you're alright, too," Issei responded.

There was some merry laughter among the perverted quartet, but then Issei looked around. "Say, how do we get out here?" Issei asked.

 **[I don't know. Maybe we should…]** Ddraig tried to suggest something, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

"Matsuda?"

"Motohama?"

"Ise?"

Three familiar voices came from the side. Everyone turned to face them and shock was immediately registered on their faces, followed by happiness.

"Nathalie!"

"Julie!"

"Sally!"

Indeed. For it was none other than the three women they loved themselves: Nathalie, Julie and Sally.

What followed were hugs and kisses from all three couples. It felt like an eternity since they were separated. Now, they were together again…

"Sally… it's so good to see you again… You don't know how much we've missed you…" Issei spoke tenderly, as he held Sally in her arms.

"Issei…" Sally said with a tinge of guilt on her face. "… I… No, we have a confession to make…"

"What's wrong?" Issei asked concerned.

"We weren't honest to you…" Sally started to explain.

"Yeah…" Nathalie continued with a similar guilt-ridden expression. "Truth is… we've got a confession to make…"

"What, Nat? That you were working for the succubus? It's no problem, girl. We know…" Matsuda replied, as he kissed Nathalie's lips.

"Well… that, too…" Julie spoke this time. "But… it's not only that…"

"""Huh?""" all three of them voiced in confusion. If that wasn't the confession they wanted to make, then what was?"

"Truth is… our names… Sally, Nathalie, Julie…" Sally explained, while shifting uncomfortably in Issei's arms.

"…are not our real names…" Julie continued next.

"…they're fake identities we created, while working under the succubus…" Nathalie finished.

The three boys were in shock. What!? Not their real names!?

Before they could ask further, the girls continued with their confession, starting with Sally again.

"My name… is actually Sayori…" the girl now known as Sayori said.

"My name is actually Natsuki…" Nathalie, no Natsuki, answered next.

"And my name is Yuri…" Julie, now known as Yuri, answered.

"But why?" Issei asked in disbelief.

"As we said, we needed fake identities, so as to fool people into thinking we were… some other people," Sayori answered.

The boys looked at Sayori in confusion. Even Ddraig was thrown off the loop. Sayori looked flustered at her inability to explain things clearly until Yuri took over.

"It's quite a complicated story…" Yuri tried to explain. The boys still were confused, but they decided to leave it at that.

"That's ok… I'm sure you can explain some other time," Motohama kissed Yuri on the cheek, which earned him a giggle. "At least, we're all back together again, right?"

That was when the three girls' expression saddened all the sudden, something that didn't go unnoticed by their boyfriends.

"Sally… I mean Sayori?" Issei asked concerned by their expressions. What was it this time?

"Ise… I'm sorry, but…" Sally began.

"…But we can't be together again" Natsuki finished the sentence for Sayori.

The boys were stunned. Did they just hear right? Did they just…?

"Hear us out," Yuri spoke up, trying to speak firmly and clearly. "Originally, the succubus was the one who brought us to this world, using the help of greater supernatural powers. However, we can only remain in this world, if the succubus is alive."

"However, now that she's dead," Natsuki continued, her voice starting to crack. "We won't be able to stay long because our essence will start to disintegrate… And if that happens…"

The boys looked at them in horror, especially Issei.

"It's all my fault…" Issei whispered in shock. But Sayori would have none of it.

"Ise! It's not your fault!" Sayori spoke up. "You didn't know this was going to happen! Besides… we aren't supposed to be here anyway… Our existences aren't meant to be here in this world…"

Shaking his head in denial, Matsuda tried to propose a solution.

"Well… we can find something, right? Surely, we can find whatever higher being it was that helped you stay in this world and get it to continue keeping you here. Right, Ddraig?" Matsuda asked Ddraig frantically.

Ddraig was flabbergasted and couldn't say anything, while Natsuki shook her head and laid it against Matsuda's chest.

"No, Matsuda… even if we did manage to find the being in question, we will be long gone…" Natsuki said with tears running down her face.

"No… please don't tell me it's true… please don't tell me you'll disappear…" Motohama begged with tears running down his eyes, as well, as he clung to Yuri.

Yuri hugged him back in response. "I'm sorry *sob*… Forgive us…" she wept, holding him tightly.

"No… it can't be… we just found each other again… and now you have to disappear?" Issei said in despair at losing the girl he loved again.

"I'm sorry, Ise *sob*…" Sayori cried in his arms. "I'm so sorry…"

Both of them cried, just like the other couples. Nobody said a word for a while, until Issei spoke up.

"It can't… just end like that… you can't just disappear… *sob*" Issei spoke with great sadness.

"Well… there is a way we can survive…" Sayori spoke up, causing the boys to perk up and look at her.

"There is?" Matsuda asked interested.

"You mean there's hope after all?" Motohama sounded hopeful.

"There is… but… *sob* even then we still can't be together…" Yuri responded with sadness.

"What do you mean…?" Motohama sounded confused at what Yuri meant.

"It just means, we'll survive and not disintegrate… but *sob* we probably won't see you again, either way… *sob*" Natsuki sobbed.

"Then… what is it what you're talking about…?" Matsuda asked this time.

"Well… it is…" Natsuki answered.

* * *

"I'm really sorry I couldn't change anything regarding your… you know… inability to stay in the High School DxD world. But this should have to do."

"I'm grateful. Thanks for all the hard work. Teehee…"

"Thanks, Monika… though you think you're going to be ok?"

"We'll survive just fine… After all, you are the creator of this fanfiction."

"Well… of course! Everything I create will work fine… more or less…"

"Errare humanum est. Teehee…"

"Yeah, let's just hope… this won't be the case here…"

[…]

"So… when will you be going?"

"I'll be on my way with the girls… soon enough… But first… I think we need some discussion on everything that has happened in this story so far… and maybe what's going to happen next."

"Really? **You're** going to review my story?"

"Of course. Teehee…"

"*Sigh* Well, you are the president of the Doki Doki Literature Club, so what did I expect…?"

"You got that right!"

"Yeah… one last closure into the arc of the Doki Doki Literature Arc… or the Succubus Arc… or whatever anyone wants to call it… Yes… One last epilogue… before you finally start moving around the dimensions, looking for a new home…"

* * *

 **Please read and review.**

 **Until then**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	24. Chapter 16 - A long Epilogue

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

Chapter 16 – A long Epilogue

"So… what do you think, Monika? About my story so far that is…"

"What should I say, Hide…? If that's what you want me to call you."

"Well, actually… Hide is my surname. Shinyama is my first name. I am Asian, after all"

"Thanks… But as I was saying… Your story is… interesting. Could be polished better but I think you did well as a first-time fanfiction writer. I mean… pulling of that twist involving us was a pretty brilliant idea."

"Uhh… what are you talking about? I wasn't the one who dragged you in here, it was the succubus."

"Teehee… you're so cute when you try to deny it… There's no way a character in fiction could possibly take over a story – more so if the author is in the real world. And there's no way this story could have possibly written itself on its own – unless someone like you did so."

"I… umm… well… uh… you see…"

"It's ok. I understand. I mean, I myself pulled off something similar with you, didn't I?"

"Well… umm… uhhh…"

"Wait. You're not telling me that you've never played Doki Doki Literature Club before, have you?"

"Ehehe… well… you see… I…"

"You probably just watched walkthrough videos on YouTube or something, right?"

"I… uh… *sigh* I really can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Nope, you can't. Teehee…"

"Well… you're right. I found out about your game via the internet and also watched walkthroughs of your game online. I never played it because… well… I'm rather timid when it comes to horror. In fact, I was so terrified when I first heard details of this cutesy game with a dark underbelly that I would sit in the toilet at night just… frozen and dazed in horror at the mere existence of something like that."

"Teehee… scaredy-cat…"

"Hey! Take that back!"

"Nope… Anyway, why did you decide to watch those walkthroughs of my game then? And why did you add Doki Doki Literature Club to your High School DxD fanfic?"

"Well… to answer your first question, I guess I got curious. I heard a lot about how uniquely terrifying Doki Doki Literature Club is and decided to check it out. I didn't want to get caught off guard with jump scares, so I spoiled the story for myself on TVTropes. Like I said earlier, I really hate horror…"

"Scaredy-cat… Teehee…"

"Yeah, yeah… So, as I was saying, after spoiling everything I decided to watch the walkthroughs. Eventually, I got used to it and got to see the game and all the fan-made mods related to it. And I have to say that after thinking about that subversive, but deep story, characters and plot development I immediately got hooked. Add that to my desire to write some good fanfiction and there you have 'The Lone Vigilante Issei'."

"You still didn't answer my last question. Why choose High School DxD? I mean Doki Doki Literature Club and High School DxD don't really have anything in common, except that both take place in a Japanese high school setting."

"Well… why not? High School DxD has a vast universe with a lot of places, myths, characters and great concepts like the Sacred Gears and the various mythical creatures. I originally read the Light Novels and was found myself quite invested in it. Eventually, I ended up checking the High School DxD fanfiction universe out of sheer curiosity and what I saw blew me away. And do you know what it was?"

"What was it?"

"Fanfictions… written better than the original story! Even if only on a concept level! The more I read some of the fanfics – not all of them, but a few – the more the original story seemed… stale… shallow… even annoying and irritating every time I think about it. The characters of High School DxD now came off as… fan-service fetish fuel. I mean, the only reason many of them were created so that they could be part of the Issei's harem and do all those sexual acts with them – that all end up in some kind of cop-out! And even those that weren't booby-sex objects… just end up as a joke! Granted, there were some great characters like… Vali… Kiba and Sairaorg Bael… but still!"

"OK… But what has that got do with my question?"

"I'm getting there, hold on. What's even worse about High School DxD is Issei Hyoudou! I liked him for a while at first. I mean, he has the Boosted Gear, he grows stronger, does epic feats and all… but… Why do all the girls fall in love with him!? And why just him and no one else!? It makes no sense! I mean, why not Kiba? He's a nice guy – and he's… pretty… for a lack of a better word. So, why not him!? It… makes… no… sense! Issei is a complete pervert with little to no backstory and who only got to where he was only because everything he got just so happens to land on his lucky lap and… what was the word? Oh, yeah… OPPAI!"

"Umm… But…"

"Oh! But that's not all! While we're on the subject of not making sense, I also discovered something in High School DxD fanfictions that infuriate me to no end and that is… the logical chinks in the flow of the story – particularly to Rias! Now, some might dispute this with me and call me a hater, but… hear me out, OK? Why did Rias just let Issei die when she could have saved him from the Fallen Angels? Is it so she can forcefully reincarnate him into her peerage? And for what? So that she can get out of her arranged marriage with Raiser Phoenix? That's despicable and stupid! And we are supposed to like her? Doesn't the story want to call her out on that or was the author just too oblivious to notice, like those dense anime protagonist à la Raku Ichijou from Nisekoi? And what about Rias' weak handling of Kokabiel? How come she didn't inform her brother and bring him to Kuoh? Why did she let all those exorcists run around town? Isn't she the governor of Kuoh? Why can't she put her foot down? And why don't the highest faction leaders coordinate with each other? The US and Russia do that, so why can't they? And why did anyone think that Rias, Sona and their peerages alone could be enough to govern Kuoh? Why don't the devils send in professionals? Did they think that Rias and Sona were professional enough? And what's more, how come Rias knows exactly what to do in pretty much every situation. She's inexperienced, is more or less in the learning process herself, so why does everything come easy for her (except maybe Issei's death)? In fact, she eventually plans to give Issei a **company** in later volumes and tells him how to run it! How does she know all that? If she does, how come she's in high school? And what about… huh?"

[…]

"…Sorry, Monika… I was getting off track… I… just had a lot of things to rant about… umm… what was going to tell you again…?"

"You wanted to tell me about why you added Doki Doki Literature Club to your High School DxD fanfiction."

"Oh, yeah, right, right… ehem…"

"Go on…"

"Yeah… although I've grown to dislike High School DxD… I do believe that the story has… a lot of potential… potential to be better… with Issei… being a more fleshed out character along with Matsuda and Motohama, who I believe were thrown to the wayside way too easily. I mean, they were the only original named characters in the light novel series to **not** know about the supernatural (Murayama and Katase are not original light novel characters by the way). Even Aika Kiryuu and Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou find out! I mean, they were his best friends and this is how Ichiei Ishibumi treats them? What a waste! Sure, they might be perverts and probably would have worsened the story, if they had more involvement, but… it's still a damn shame! Do you get what I mean?"

"Well… yes I do."

"And that's what I want to correct. I want to write a fanfiction better than the original story. I want to improve it and complete it, for there is nothing more frustrating than to see a fanfiction with good ideas and good writing just… remain incomplete and forgotten. Now… I don't think I can truly draw out High School DxD's fullest potential. Perhaps, I might end up writing a mediocre story… Either way, it's a challenge worth trying. I'll admit when I look back thus far… I realized, I started off mediocre. But… as I got more experience in writing – and getting a better idea on what I want my story to be, too – I thought out of the box. In doing so, I realized that nobody bothered to include Doki Doki Literature Club into a fanfic – or none that I know of. That's why I wanted to use that big plot twist in your game. The one that turned the game on its head and made it creepy. Granted, it's no longer an original concept and I took a big risk when I decided to put that in, but hey! It worked didn't it? Also, I think I've done a pretty good job turning into my own thing, don't you think? So, here we are safe and sound. Does that answer your question, Monika? And… look… I know what you're going to say, but… I'm sorry for doing this to you… dragging you into my story and probably getting you and the girls in harm's way…"

"I forgive you."

"What? But…?"

"It's OK, Shinyama. In fact, I ought to thank you…"

"Thank me? For what?"

"Well… for giving Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki and me so much happiness. For the first time in their lives, we have truly been able to enjoy a world… full of people. You might know this already, but in our world, we are the only people trapped in this empty, shallow world with no one else in it. But when you made the succubus bring us to your fanfiction story… we actually were able to interact with people. Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki were finally able to have boyfriends… something they've always wanted to have for a long time and… I managed to meet a lot of people back at Kuoh Academy. They were… nice, funny, fun to spend time with and much more. Now, certainly none of them are real and are really nothing more than figments of your imagination, but still… for what it's worth it… I enjoyed my time as a teacher… It was the best time of my life… for real… and for that…"

 **Monika kisses you on the cheek.**

"Hey, where did the narration come from? And wait, what? Whoa!?"

"…Thank you, Hide Shinyama."

"Well… You're welcome… *swoon* Ehehe…"

"You're welcome… though you probably didn't feel that in real life, didn't you?"

"Well... *sigh* no… But I can always imagine you doing that in real life, right? Something which I did by the way."

"Teehee… you're so sweet. Though… even then it doesn't change the fact that I will never be able to reach out into reality… and actually touch you… feel you… actually be with you…"

"Indeed… it's unfortunate… The wall between reality and fiction can never truly be broken I feel… However, I do believe that… we can still influence each other at least… if you know what I mean, Monika…"

"Yes… at least there's that. People in the real world come with… great ideas, concepts, characters and plot and so on... and then translate them into books, comics, movies, TV-series… and even video games. It is through the help of creative minds that fictional characters like myself even exist. And in return… we influence you, thanks to all the effort our creators manage to put into us. We give the audience someone to relate to… someone who they can look up to… someone who can inspire them… enrich their minds… and lead them to create more stories, books and so on."

"Yeah… even mediocre stories like High School DxD manage to do just that. After all, how else did I manage to create a High School DxD fanfic? And in addition to coming across Doki Doki Literature Club… and the vast abundance of imaginative material out there… I was able to create… well… this mistitled fanfiction… called 'The Lone Vigilante Issei'…"

"Yes… But you're not done with this story yet, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I'm not giving up. I'm going to improve on it. I don't know how long I'll be working on this story, but I won't give up… until I give this story something worthy of its title! As you know, Issei hasn't done anything truly vigilante-like. I've got a lot of things planned for him – oh, and his friends, too! They'll be going through kinds of trials and ordeals. I don't know how many arcs I'll make before I'm satisfied. Perhaps it's three, maybe five, maybe more. However, you can bet… Monika… that the only way I'll stop this story – is when I die!"

"Teehee… You sure have a lot of enthusiasm. You would be a wonderful fit in my literature club."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not into poetry. But thanks anyway."

"Well… I figured you'd say tha-"

 **ZZZTZZZZT!**

 **Suddenly a buzzing sound appeared. Monika's body is starting to glitch and fade into non-existence. Better hurry up!**

"Oh, no! I'm afraid I don't have much time left!"

"Indeed, you don't! I think it's time for you to get into the ship!"

"I'll go… I guess this is it. This is where we say our goodbyes."

"Yes… I'll admit, I wish we didn't have to part ways this soon."

"Unfortunately, we must. I must pick the other three up. There's no time."

"Exactly. Let's hurry!"

 **Monika nods. You and Monika run towards the flying boat you've created.**

"Are you sure it will work?"

"Positive. Now go on in!"

 **As she enters the ramp, she looks back at you with a smile on her face.**

"Shinyama?"

"Yeah?"

"...Take care…"

"Yes… take care… I hope all goes well with you on your journey…"

 **Monika nods with a smile, before heading in. The ramp closes. The boat is ready to go.**

 **The boat is moving upward. It lifts to the sky and Monika waves goodbye.**

"Goodbye Monika…"

[VROOM!]

 **The boat flies away and through a portal that leads it somewhere else.**

"…Thanks for everything…"

* * *

 _With Issei and the others – time: indefinite_

[VROOM!]

"Wha-"

"What the…?"

"What is that?"

Motohama, Matsuda and Issei call out in surprise, the moment they saw a gigantic boat with a sail on it appearing out of nowhere. This caused a boom and a wind that made everyone present to cover their eyes.

As soon as the heavy wind subsided, they saw someone in the ship. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama squint their eyes. They widened when they saw that the person had coral brown hair and a white ribbon tied into a pony-tail.

"""MONIQUE-SENSEI!?""" Matsuda, Issei and Motohama cried out incredulously.

"Hello, boys. Good to see you again. Teehee…" Monika giggled from the ship towards the three flabbergasted boys.

"B-but how…?" Motohama started in disbelief.

"Oh, this boat?" Monika patted the boat. "It's a gift from a friend of mine!"

"Took you long enough!" Natsuki pouted, as she called up to Monika. "We were already starting to fade out of existence!"

"Yes, the boys were completely at an edge because of that! Do you know how stressed they were when they found out we were going to disappear?" Sayori added.

"Sorry. My friend and I had a lot of things to discuss before we could go." Monika said, trying to brush off her tardiness.

"You really should do something about your failure not to come on time, Monika…" Yuri told her.

Issei raised his eyebrows at that. "Monika?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. That's Monique's real name," Yuri explained.

"Ohh… I see…" Issei nodded in understanding. Figures. Everyone else had a pseudonym, so why wouldn't Monique-sensei.

"Everybody, move out of the way! I'm going to land!" Monika calls out, as she lands the boat with a press of a button near the steering wheel.

After a minute the boat landed and the ramp opened with Monika coming out.

"Monika!" Sayori rushed to hug her friend. She did so and it was a warm embrace. It felt like they hadn't seen each other in ages.

"Sayori… are you ok?" Monika asked in concern, masked with a smile. "Did the succubus do anything to you, girls?"

"Nope," Natsuki answered, as she approached Monika on the ramp. "That old hag merely locked us into this dimension, while trying to kill my boyfriend and his friends. Luckily, my Matsuda isn't someone who would go down this easily. He walloped her like she was nothing," Natsuki spoke confidently about her boyfriend, not realizing that what she said wasn't true.

"Wh-what? Oh, yeah! Ahahaha…" Matsuda said confused at first, before deciding to play along. "That succubus didn't know what she was dealing with! She should have stayed at home. Ahahahaha…"

This caused Motohama and Issei to glare at Matsuda rather angrily.

"Hey, why are you hogging all the glory for yourself?" Motohama asked with an edge in his voice.

"Yeah, I was the one who did the most fighting, while you were either hiding or unconscious!" Issei reminded Matsuda.

"Shut up! If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead! I was the one who stabbed the succubus after all!" Matsuda countered.

"So that gives you the right to hog all the glory for yourself, eh?" Motohama replied back angrily.

"Of course!" Matsuda insisted.

And thus, the three of them quarreled, leading Ddraig to groan.

 **[*Sigh* Why do I have to be stuck to these bozos?]** Ddraig complained quietly to himself.

"Teehee… those three sure are lively…" Monika giggled at their antiques.

"Yeah…" Yuri smiled with a soft smile. "…Even though Motohama may be a pervert… I truly… love him nonetheless… "

"Yeah…" Natsuki joined in. "…I feel the same way about Matsuda. I don't think I'll ever find a boy who likes my flexibility this easily…"

"What?" Yuri looked at Natsuki in confusion. Natsuki looked away in embarrassment at revealing this particular aspect of their relationship.

"I'll explain some other time…" Natsuki replied flustered.

"And as for me…" Sayori now spoke up. She looked from the ramp of the ship and looked at Issei, who was having the upper hand of the impromptu wrestling match between his buddies. "…as do I about Ise…"

The more Sayori stared, the more she felt the urge to fight against her tears. "He is… kind… strong… brave… loyal… and he never gives up, as he's proven against the succubus… But most importantly… he's my boyfriend… the one I love the most… No one… no one can ever replace him…in my heart…"

At this point tears were welling up in her eyes. She tried her best to hold them back, but couldn't. Monika immediately gives her a tissue, which Sayori takes to rub her eyes.

"Monika? Can't we just… take them along with us? Do we have to leave them here?" Sayori asked, as she turned to Monika with a tear-stained face.

Monika nodded with a serious look on her face.

"Unfortunately, yes. We have to leave them here. It's where they belong," Monika told Sayori.

"But why?" Sayori protested. "It's not like they can just go home! I mean, they are officially criminals serving out their sentences. It's not like they can live on the streets!"

Yuri and Natsuki looked at Sayori in worry, then at their boyfriends, who were trying to pin each other down, before turning to Monika, as they awaited her answer.

Monika sighed at first, but then decided to tell the girls why it had to be this way.

"I've told you before," Monika started her reply, as she laid a hand on Sayori's shoulder. "Even though what you say about them is true, it's not our responsibility to take care of them. Not anymore. They…" Monika looked at the boys, who were rolling around the floor like children, learning how to wrestle.

"… They will be fine. I know they will be. The author made sure that they would be. He has plans for them, plans that will move them to greater heights… with adventures, battles, experiences, challenges, ups and downs heading their way. After all, we are in High School DxD fanfiction, so what did you expect?" Monika asked the girls, who only nodded in agreement without saying anything.

"However," Monika continued with a somber look. "…we won't be a part of their lives. Unlike them… we don't belong here. In fact, we shouldn't even be here in the first place. We weren't even meant to exist anymore after… what I did to you girls… and myself… Our existence has always been one of despair and superficiality. Yet, now… we are finally able to move on. Move on… to a better life with adventures, ups and downs… just like those three…" Monika gestured to Issei, Matsuda and Motohama, who were fighting sluggishly because of their fatigue, yet still pressed on with their fight.

"…and the only way we can move on… is by using this ship to find a new world… one that will accept our existence… one in which we won't disappear… But in order to do so… you have to let go of them…"

This caused Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki to look at the perverted trio in sadness from the distance. They didn't want to do this, but they couldn't deny what Monika had just said. Yes… it had to be done for either way, they would disappear from their lives and if they could choose an option where their own lives will be preserved, then why forego the opportunity?

And yet despite the clear logic of that argument…

Why did it feel so hard?

Sayori looked at Issei one last time. It was only for a few seconds, but to her, it felt like an eternity. Sayori remembered all the wonderful memories they shared together. Their first meeting, their first session, their first embrace, their first kiss and so many more things in their brief time together.

She felt tempted to run back to Issei and give him one heartfelt embrace, one more kiss… wanted to tell him how much she loved him and wanted to hear Issei say the same. Yet…

…if she did that, she might never muster the will to leave. Departing would become… so much more painful…

It was then, that Sayori made her first move. She turned around and went up the ramp and into the boat without saying a word. Yuri and Natsuki looked at Sayori in surprise, but quickly realized that she did what needed to be done. They, too, looked at their respective boyfriends with saddened looks one last time… before turning around and following Sayori.

The only one who had yet to go up into the boat was Monika. Unlike the other girls, she just gave a tender smile towards the three boys who were were lying exhausted on the white, featureless floor.

"Thank you, boys. Thank you… for everything…" Monika whispered to the boys, before she turned around and went up into the boat.

Right after she entered the boat, the ramp moved up and closed the entrance to the boat. This caused such a noise that the perverted trio perked up from surprise, despite their exhaustion.

"What was that?" Matsuda asked, as he lifted his head from the floor.

"I don't know. How should I know that?" Motohama retorted back, as he looked around.

Widening his eyes and getting up, Issei turned towards the boat and spoke up. "Wait a minute… could it be?"

"What? You know what that sound was?" Motohama asked Issei.

Issei didn't bother to give Motohama any attention. He simply pointed his finger towards the boat.

"The boat! They're leaving!" Issei exclaimed, as he ran towards the boat.

Upon hearing Issei's exclamation, Matsuda and Motohama made haste to get up and follow him.

It was then that the boat lifted into the air, causing a draft on the ground.

The trio of perverts shielded themselves with their arms, while trying their best not to be blown away, as the boat went up into the air.

Issei gritted his teeth, as he looked up to the boat, despite the draft.

When the draft subsided, Issei could make out the form of Sayori and the others, who were waving at them from above.

"SAYORI! WAIT!" Issei called out. The boat had stopped moving upward and was holding still – for now.

By now, Matsuda and Motohama had also recovered from the draft and were also calling out to their girlfriends.

"NATSUKI!"

"YURI! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?"

But the girls did not reply. What they did do was toss some glittering items down towards them.

The boys immediately held out their arms and caught one of the items each in their hands.

The three of them looked at the items in confusion. What were those things? They didn't seem normal.

Matsuda seemed to have something like… a toy helicopter in his hands. It had a rotor on its head and on its tail just like any ordinary helicopter and it was covered in black. The length of it was approximately 25 cm, its rotor diameter about 30 cm and its height about 10 cm. What was different, however, was its lack of seats. Instead, there were only some flat cushions on the floor of the helicopter. Moreover, there was some kind of machinery on the floor. Matsuda didn't know what it was, but whatever it was, it was square and jutted out at the bottom of the helicopter.

Motohama received… a pair of black glittery gloves. They looked like something a diva might wear at an evening gala or something, except… that they had the shape of working gloves. Moreover, something felt off about it. Motohama didn't know what it was, but he knew something was off. It felt like some kind of dark aura was enveloping it, but he'd have to look into it later.

Last of all, Issei had… a pair of glasses in his hands. Why? He wasn't short-sighted. Issei inspected it. It had a black frame and everything (not too shabby), but nothing out of the ordinary… wait a minute… Were those buttons at the temple at each of the sides?

While they were wondering about the gifts they had received, they jolted up upon remembering that the girls were departing and sure enough. The boat was moving!

"SAYORI!"

"NATSUKI!"

"YURI!"

The trio cried out, as they gave chase in the endless white void, determined to chase them to the ends of the earth. But to their despair, the boat moved faster and faster. Issei looked up to Sally, pleading her to halt the boat. But all Issei and his friends could see… were how Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri just stood there waving goodbye with tears from their eyes.

Each of the girls gave them some air kisses, before calling out to them one last time with tears in their eyes.

"Goodbye, Motohama! I love you!"

"I love you so much, Matsuda! I'll miss you!"

"Goodbye, Issei! I'll never forget you!"

Then suddenly, a portal appeared in front of the boat and the boat was moving towards it. Seeing this, Issei and his buddies called out even more earnestly.

"SAYORI, WAIT! TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

"TAKE US ALL WITH YOU!"

"PLEASE!"

But Sayori shook her head. She knew that was impossible.

This was goodbye… forever…

Sayori shed one final tear, as she saw the love of her life… one last time.

Then the boat flew in and the portal started to close.

"SAYORI!"

Right before the portal closed completely, something shining came down floating towards them, but the boys paid no heed. Issei only shed tears, as he saw the portal close – with the girls gone – never to be seen again.

"I couldn't even say goodbye to you right…" Issei whispered sadly. That was when Matsuda spoke up.

"Guys. What's that?" Matsuda pointed in the air.

"Huh?" Issei wiped the tears from his face and then laid his eyes upon the shining object falling gently towards them.

As it came closer, everyone present realized that this wasn't an item like the others, but something more abstract. It was literally an orb of light. Unlike those of the succubus, this one wasn't dark or harmful… but soft, gentle and bright.

As soon as it came close enough, it stopped falling and hovered right above them within arm's reach, as if beckoning to touch it

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other, as if consulting on what to do. They didn't look so sure, as to whether they should touch it or not. Seeing their indecisiveness, Ddraig spoke up.

 **[Everyone. There's no need to worry. It's completely harmless. Touch it and see what happens. I have the feeling it may be the girls' final message to you]** Ddraig encouraged them.

Looking at the Boosted Gear in surprise for a second, all three of them turned their eyes towards the small glowing orb once again. They held their items in one of their hands, while reaching out with the others.

Issei reached out first… then Matsuda… and finally Motohama… and touched it simultaneously.

Upon contact, they were illuminated by a dazzling light that raptured them away from the white empty dimension.

* * *

 _Inside another white dimension – time: indefinite_

Issei opened his eyes, as the light subsided. He looked around and saw his buddies next to him, but… wait a minute… was it just him or were they floating? Matsuda and Motohama also noticed this and were astonished.

"Whoa! We're floating!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Yeah… but how?" Motohama asked, trying to move his body in the air.

Before anyone could say or do anymore, they fell to the floor with a thud. All three of them rubbed their backs and stood up. All the sudden, something drew their attention to something appearing a few feet in front of them. To their surprise…

…it was their girlfriends… and Monika standing in front of them.

Surprise turned to joy, upon seeing them until Monika spoke up.

"Hi, boys. If you're seeing this, we will have already left to travel through the worlds. What you see in front of you is a recording, so… we apologize that we couldn't say goodbye to you properly…" Monika said apologetically.

The trio's heart sank, as the reality of their girlfriends' departure hit them once again. They were gone for good… It really was true…

"However, you must understand that we must do this, if we didn't we would fade out of existence. Perhaps the girls already told you… about how the succubus keeps us alive in your world. Unfortunately, now that she is gone our existence can no longer be guaranteed. That is why… we have to leave," Monika explained.

Issei felt a pang of guilt now. Perhaps killing the succubus was a mistake. If only he knew about this detail about the girls, they wouldn't have to leave in the first place.

"But hear me out," Monika continued, interrupting Issei's thoughts of guilt. "It's not your fault. You couldn't possibly know what would happen to us, if you killed that succubus. We don't blame you. In fact, we're glad you took her out."

"Huh?" Motohama gave out confused.

"We might wonder why we are so happy you took her out. Well…" Monika was starting to act queasy, something that did not go unnoticed. "After the succubus took us in, she had us… seduce people… particularly men… one after the other we had to use our traits, mentality, personal charm and looks attract men of all kind…"

"You mean…" Issei began upon realizing what she was trying to say. His two friends and Ddraig also gasped in shock at what she was implying.

"Yes," Monika said. "She made us do… that… and after the men were aroused, she… would absorb their life force and kill them. We've been doing this for a six months now until the succubus had a change of plan."

Matsuda was utterly horrified upon hearing Monika's explanation. He remembered back when he had sex with Natsuki two times and realized that she had been doing this as her daily bread and butter. What's more, it also made him realize just how close the succubus came to killing him. He could just imagine the succubus hiding in the room somewhere, just waiting to finish him off.

"About a month ago the succubus decided to create a juvenile prison facility. Creating the prison wasn't hard, the power that the succubus had thanks to the powerful dragon from the void made things easy. Perhaps, the girls told you about it. But don't ask us for details about the dragon. We've never seen it. Only the succubus has met it," Monika explained further, thus shutting down any potential questions for now.

"Anyway, after the newly christened Sakabasu Detention Facility was completed, she… we… began to lure a number of men to their deaths, all for the succubus' pleasure. It was dirty, disgusting work, but we had no choice. We had to do it or face our demise. Though there were plenty of times where we thought it would be better to just end ourselves than continue," Monika said somberly, the other girls shifting uncomfortably in the back.

The boys didn't say a word. They looked at their respective girlfriends with sadness in their eyes. This was… just horrible. How on earth could anyone live like that? This was… inhumane! Why didn't they tell them sooner? They could have done something – ok, granted they did, but still!

"It was then that you boys came along, especially Issei… and the Boosted Gear. We could all sense your aura, Issei, and that was when I realized that the opportunity had come. And you know why? Because you were the only person capable of defeating the succubus. That was when I gathered the other girls here…" Monika motioned to Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri, who nodded. "…and told them of my plan. We knew that the succubus was making her moves to kill you, so we decided to drop hints of what was going on. We couldn't tell you outright, as it was too dangerous, though in the end it didn't matter, as we were being kept on a tight leash. That's why Natsuki and Sayori dropped their subtlety and blurted out what was going on… at least as much as they could. Thankfully, what we told you was more than enough to get the message through, which made the succubus desperate. To be honest, she was already quite desperate after you guys rebuffed her assaults, but now she was at wits end."

The three boys nodded. Well… they sort of knew all this, but… why did Yuri tell them to look in the cellar? Why not tell them to get the heck out of the facility?

"Now you might be wondering why we sent you to the cellar with the dead bodies. Well, I realized that relying on the host of Red Dragon Emperor alone wasn't going to be enough. No offense to you, Issei, but you still have much to learn," Monika apologized to Issei.

 **[Indeed, you do, Partner. Indeed, you do…]** Ddraig replied with a smug tone.

"Hmpf!" Issei grunted annoyed, but decided to let it be and let Monika continue.

"Which is why…" Monika continued. "…I had to drag a certain person who I won't name into the mix. He was the only who could truly fix our problems and deal with the succubus, so bringing him in was a must. My only problem was on how to achieve it. Thankfully, I had a plan in advance. I managed to convince the succubus into booby-trapping the room full of corpses, which would create a glitch in the dimension and drag into this world the person in question. I pretended to be loyal to the succubus and made it look like the work of only the other girls. Manipulating the succubus into doing this was easy because I was the only one she could trust. The others obviously had a relationship with you guys, so they weren't as trustworthy. The plan went off quite well, despite the fact that the succubus tried to launch direct attacks on you. I did not plan that, by the way. That was something the succubus did by herself. She always was too arrogant for her own good. Watching you guys fight her was a good side-show, by the way... Teehee…" Monika giggled and leaned to the side.

There was an awkwardly short pause, before Monika stood straight and cleared her throat.

"What she didn't know was that I told the girls of my plan using your written assignments as a means to do it – we used pens with invisible ink and UV-light to write on the margins, by the way..."

"Invisible ink… now that's a classic," Matsuda commented impressed.

"After teleporting you to the fake reality of the illusion, all that we had to do was remind you of your previous memories and lead you to the mysterious person. The rest was then up to him and you guys to defeat the succubus – and it paid off. A risky plan, but it worked in the end. I have to say, you really come in handy for anyone who would want to hire you to get things done – like a mercenary. The other guys, too, of course… Teehee…" Monika giggled again.

The perverted quartet grumbled upon hearing Monika's explanation.

"So… that's what she thinks of us, huh?" Matsuda grumbled.

"Just some… tool she can use for her own ends, huh?" Motohama murmured with a twitching eye.

"We should have just broken out of prison…" Issei remarked dryly.

 **[I told you, guys. We should have done that]** Ddraig reprimanded them, leading the three boys to turn their faces towards the Boosted Gear angrily.

"""NO, YOU DIDN'T!""" they shouted indignantly at Ddraig.

"Now that we've explained all that has happened, I think it's time for Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri here to say their goodbyes to you," Monika announced, which got the everyone's attention. "Yuri? Do you want to start?"

The hologram of Yuri nodded and stepped forward. Motohama did the same and both stood in front of the other face to face. Yuri cleared her throat.

"Motohama… I… I'm sorry I've been so secretive to you all this time… I just wanted to say… that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, but… well… you heard the explanation… we had no choice… but… that's no excuse I guess…" Yuri said, guilt clearly heard in her voice.

Motohama didn't say a word. He almost wanted to, but he remembered that this was a recording and thus talking would be useless.

"Listen to me…" Yuri continued with a pleading voice. "I don't know whether you'll hate me for it or forgive me, but I have to say… that… I love you… And no matter what, my feelings for you will never change… I love being your teacher and your girlfriend. I really do, but… it seems like our time together has ended. We can't be together anymore. I know this is hard, but please listen to me. Please listen to what I have to say..."

Motohama listened attentively, lapping every word she spoke for he knew it would be the last time, he'd hear her voice.

"…Remember what I told you on our first session? How I told you to expand your horizon on your future career?" Yuri asked Motohama, her voice quivering with emotion. "I want you to do exactly that towards your life in general. Look to the future. You're still young. But to do that… you have to let go of me… Don't cling to me… because I won't be with you much longer… Go forward. I know it hurts… but you **must** do it. Only then, can you find the happiness you're looking for."

At this point, both Yuri and Motohama were shedding tears. It was a harsh, bittersweet goodbye, but a necessary one.

"Go, Motohama… my love… *sob* I want you to be happy… and please… *sob* never forget me…" Yuri struggled to speak because of the sobs that came from her. She buried her face in her hands and then… ran away. Her hologram disappearing, as she ran past the bounds of the hologram.

"YURI!" Motohama called, as he tried to stop her. He fell on his knees upon realizing that it was pointless, sobbing furiously after her departure.

Matsuda and Issei watched in silence… and pity. They only dreaded what their girlfriends had to say and how they would feel after that.

"*Sigh* I guess she couldn't take it anymore… Natsuki, you're next," Monika told Natsuki, who nodded and came forward.

Matsuda stepped up, while Issei supported Motohama and stepped back so that they wouldn't be in Matsuda's way.

Natsuki cleared her throat. "I… Hey, Matsuda… It feels kind of weird talking to you, even though I'm not seeing you and yet… you can still hear me…"

Matsuda just nodded, even though she wasn't actually there.

"Well, anyway…" Natsuki continued, while shifting her weight on one foot. "I just wanted to say… that just like Yuri… I love you, too…"

She quickly became flustered upon realizing that she made a mistake. "N-now, don't get me wrong!" Natsuki tried to explain frantically. "What I meant to say was that as Yuri likes Motohama… is… well… the same way I love you! Not Yuri likes you… that's **absolutely** not true!"

Matsuda had to chuckle at that. Natsuki was a true tsundere, a true loli-type character, like no one else.

Then he noticed that her expression went back to being serious, which ended his own laughter.

"Now where was I…? Um… oh, yeah! I was going to say… that I'll really miss our time together and… I hope you'll never forget me. I… I don't know what to say… I'm not as good in expressing myself like Yuri. Though… wait… I think I've got something…"

Matsuda raised his eyebrow at that. What did she have to say?

"I… I've never been too confident in myself… whether it be in my looks or social skills… but you, Matsuda… you changed that…" Natsuki remarked. "Because of you, I was able to be confidence in myself. I realized, I didn't need to be tall and perfect, like Monika or have a big bust like Yuri. I've got my own strong points and have things about me even guys would gaga over – other than the fact that I'm a girl. For instance, you said you like my skirt…" she tugged her blue skirt at both ends with a playful smile. "…and my leggings…" she lifted her skirt up to reveal her black pantyhose, which caused Matsuda and Issei to blush furiously (Motohama wasn't listening, since he was still crying).

"Umm… Natsuki, you know that Ise and Motohama are probably going to watch this as well, right?" Sayori interrupted with a sour look on her face.

Natsuki looked at her confused, before yelping and covering her pantyhose with her skirt. "Don't you perverts dare look! This is only meant for Matsuda!" she shouted embarrassed.

'But you were the one who flashed us first…' Issei responded mentally with a sweat drop.

"Well… anyway," Natsuki continued after calming down. "Those things… and my flexibility… I didn't realize that people could become horny just because of these things – especially the last one! But… I guess you taught me better. I learned from you that instead of being jealous over others for what I don't have… I should appreciate what I've got."

Matsuda didn't say anything, as he continued to listen to her.

"So… here's what I want to say…" Natsuki continued, as she showed him a tender smile. "Thank you very much… you… you're a wonderful man… you've been so kind to me… even though… I haven't been the same way towards you… I…" Natsuki said, her smile cracking, as she began to cry.

"I'm sorry I lied to you… how I hid the fact that our first time… *sob* wasn't the first time… and yet… it felt so good… *sob* I loved *sniff* having sex with you… it was the best… better than anything I've felt in my life… *Sob* so please forgive me… Matsuda…" At that point, Natsuki began to wail openly. Matsuda himself couldn't help but feel sorrowful.

"I… forgive you… Natsuki…" Matsuda whispered out with tears in his eyes, even though she couldn't hear him.

""Are you all right?"" the recorded images of Sayori and Monika asked simultaneously, as they comforted Natsuki.

"We can end this if you want…" Monika suggested. But Natsuki shook her head.

"No… I still have one last thing to say… just one last thing…" Natsuki told them, before calming down and wiping away her tears. Sayori and Monika backed away so that their friend could finish her last words to Matsuda.

Matsuda looked at his girlfriend with a red tear-stained face, waiting expectantly at what she had to say.

"…I'm sorry for this… I really didn't want things to end this way… but I have to… I'll never forget you… and I hope you don't forget me… But for now, we're through. Not because I don't want you… but because we won't be able to see each other again… So, Matsuda… I hope that the next girl you'll meet… will love you for you are… just like me…" Natsuki finished, as she fought against her tears, only to run away, like Yuri before him.

At that, Matsuda just fell to his knees and started to weep. Issei knelt down next to him and patted Matsuda's shoulder in comfort. Inwardly, Issei himself was unsettled for he knew that it was his turn.

"She really took it hard…" Monika's recorded self said to Sayori. Sayori just nodded.

Issei got up, readying himself for the big goodbye with Sayori. The one true love of his life…

Sayori went forward and so did Issei, standing in front of each other for the last time (if only through a hologram recording).

"Ise…" Sayori spoke to him, while addressing him by his endearing nickname. "You probably listened to everything Yuri and Natsuki have just said… so to say that I love you and that I want the best for you… and your future… is unnecessary. You already knew that. No… we both know that. But… what I wanted to say… is something else…"

Issei raised his eyebrows. Something else? What could it be?

"…Remember how you told me about wanting to become a detective?" Sayori asked.

Issei looked at her confused. His wish of becoming a detective?

Issei scratched his head. Yeah, he remembered it. It's just he didn't have the time to think about that. I mean, who could blame him? Dealing with a seemingly omnipresent succubus out to get sure took a lot of his thoughts away from that issue. But what about that wish?

"All I wanted to tell you is… to pursue your dream. Pursue your passions. I think it's worth your pursuit," Sayori told him.

Huh? That's it? Matsuda and Motohama got all these heart-filled goodbyes and all he got was a call to pursue his passions and dreams? Before he could question further, Sayori's recording continued.

"You might be asking yourself why I just told you all that… I mean… shouldn't I be talking about more important things? Hear me out before you dismiss what I'm going to say… the reason why I just told you that is… because… well… truth be told… I've been watching you this entire time… while you were dealing with the succubus…"

'Watching me?' Issei asked in his mind.

"What I mean by that," Sayori answered, as if anticipating Issei's questions. "Is that even though Yuri, Natsuki and I were trapped in that empty void, we were able to watch your every action. What you did, planned, talked about… everything..."

Suddenly, Sayori bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry! I know it was an invasion of privacy, but I couldn't help it. Please forgive me!" Sayori apologized with her head bowed.

Issei wanted to calm her down, but quickly remembered that this was a recording and did nothing.

After Sayori raised her head, she continued. "Anyway… I overheard your conversations with Ddraig… Matsuda and Motohama and how you tried to figure out what was going on. I have to say… I was impressed. You did great in finding out what to do and how to go on from where you were – even keeping the others focused. Granted, you did get a lot of help from your allies – especially Ddraig – but you still proved yourself quite adept at dealing with a crisis situation. Most others would have lost their heads if they were in your shoes. Ehehe…" Sayori giggled.

Sayori then stopped giggling. She cleared her throat, before continuing. "This is a good start in becoming a detective. The experience you went through on the field shows that you have the necessary skills. I'd dare say that if you do have a change in career choice towards that of a police officer or an army officer, I'd say go for it. You might need to buckle up for whatever training lies ahead, but knowing you, I think you'll make it."

'What? She thinks that I've got the skill to become a police officer?' Issei thought surprised, considering that previously she had advised him not to do so. Issei must have truly proven capable, if Sayori changed her mind like that.

"However," Sayori then became serious. "I think you know as well as I do that you're destined to more, right? You are the holder of the Boosted Gear and Ddraig, one of the two Heavenly Dragon Emperors. And because of that… you'll be dealing with all sorts if enemies, trying to get you."

Issei gulped. Yes, he had been told of all that by Ddraig. So, why did she have to remind him of all that? Issei decided to listen on.

"You'll have to fight. You'll have to bleed. You'll have to endure. You may even feel the need to give up and turn back. But when you pull through, after all that pain and hardship… you can look back and see how you've grown through these trials… and when you look forward… you can see the future and the fruits of your labor lying ahead of you…" Sayori said, her face taking on a gentle smile. "So, again… what I want to say is this: Pursue your dreams and passions. You've got the ability to do it. But… when you do that, be sure to be open for more goals in life. There are plenty of things life has to offer. With the Boosted Gear and the challenges that you will face, you will not only find enemies and challenges on the way, but opportunities as well… You'll find doors to ways you never thought were open to you. You will meet people who you'd never thought you'd ever meet. Perhaps, you might even find… someone… who will… be as dear to you… as I am…" At this, Sayori's voice quivered, while trying to maintain her happy smile.

Issei tried to take in what Sayori just said. He took her advice of enduring hardships and being more open to setting goals in life quite easily. But finding someone else who could replace her? Sayori? The love of his life? That bubbly sweet young woman who he had practically shared his entire soul with him? How could he… just let go of her?

"I… just wish… I could be there… to accompany you on your journey… but… that was never meant to be…" Sayori started to speak sorrowfully. "I... my destiny is a different one… I must travel through worlds upon worlds to find… the place where I belong… *sniff* Please forgive me, Ise. *sob* But I can't stay with you…"

Sayori held out her hand, as if to cup his cheek. Issei silently approached her and let Sayori's hologram touch his cheek.

"I just wish… I could hold you one last time…" Sayori said, as tears ran down her face.

Issei also had tears on his face, as their emotions were laid bare before each other. The two lovers stared in each other's eyes… and then both of them instinctively leaned towards each other and kissed. Neither could feel the other, and yet… they both felt each other at the same time.

Sayori then backed away, before whispering "I love you, Ise. Please forgive me…" before running away, like Yuri and Natsuki before her.

Unlike his other two friends, who were on the ground and weeping silently, Issei just stood there frozen, yet still in tears.

Was this it? Was this how their relationship would end? Was their relationship doomed to failure from the start from the beginning? Was it even meant to be?

So many questions floated in Issei's mind, before Monika cleared her throat.

"Look…" she spoke with empathy. "I know that you must be going through a hard time after what the girls just told you, but… I need your attention. All of you… so please… listen to me. It's important."

Issei nodded silently. He went over to the others and told them to get up and listen what Monika had to say. Matsuda and Motohama nodded and got up, while trying to wipe the tears from their reddened faces.

After a few seconds, Monika spoke up. "You probably may have wondered about the gifts you received, right? Take a look at them."

The three friends looked at their gifts half-heartedly from grief, until they realized that they weren't there.

"Ahahaha… my bad," Monika laughed embarrassed. "I forget that they disappear in this dimension. Here."

Monika snapped her fingers and immediately a metal wrist watch formed on Matsuda's, Issei's and Motohama's wrists each. They all looked in confusion. Where did their gifts go? And why did they have wristwatches all the sudden?

"These are some gifts that Yuri, Natsuki and Sayori wanted you to have, before they left. Unfortunately, none of them are able to explain any of this to you in person because… well… you know… and so I will do the honors. First, of Motohama…" Monika addressed Motohama.

Motohama, having stopped wiping his tears away, turned his attention to Monika.

"Press the two buttons on the side of your wrist watch," Monika instructed him.

Motohama did so and with a flash, the black glittery gloves were on his hands. As Motohama looked at them with interest, Monika spoke up.

"Yuri wanted you to have these. As you can see, these are no ordinary gloves. Try pressing your thumb against your index finger," Monika told Motohama.

Motohama did as she asked and then he saw a small spark and then something like a black cube forming slowly in the palm of his hand.

Motohama was so surprised, he separated his thumb from his index finger. Issei and Matsuda looked in awe and wondered what the cube even was.

"The black gloves and the cube you see on your hands are made of dark energy. It's the same dark energy that the succubus used to trap you into the dark dimension. And because of its ability to trap people… Motohama, try throwing the cube on the floor," Monika told Motohama.

Motohama threw the cube and with a big splotch, covered the white floor with dark ink-like substance. Everybody frowned at that. Same substance as the succubus' dark energy? But that didn't work like glue, right?

"Now, you must be confused, as to why this dark energy acts like glue and not gas form-like like you know earlier. Well, it's because the glue-like substance is it at its most basic form. You can only achieve its gas form by intensive heat. But how to achieve that is another story for another time. For now, you'll have to deal with the black goo. It's really useful for trapping enemies, so don't underestimate it," Monika explained. "To dismiss the gloves, just take them off and they'll return to being a wrist watch."

"Hmmm… pretty cool…" Motohama commented with an approving nod, as he pulled off the gloves. Immediately, they turned back into the wrist watch in a flash.

"These gloves," Monika noted. "Are also useful when handling toxic opponents and elements. With them, you can touch them unharmed. So, please put them to good use… for Yuri's sake."

"Noted," Motohama stated to himself, as he smiled at Yuri's final gift of love.

"Now to you, Matsuda. Tap the two buttons on your watch," Monika told Matsuda.

Matsuda pressed the buttons in question and with a poof the small helicopter from before appeared. Despite being taken by surprise, Matsuda managed to catch it in his arms.

"What you see here is a remote-controlled helicopter, but not just any remote-controlled helicopter. Look at the bottom of the helicopter and take out the controller," Monika pointed out.

Matsuda checked the bottom of the helicopter and indeed there was something like a controller. He took it out from beneath and observed it. The controller had the shape of a game controller and was about 10 cm wide and 5 cm long. It had two analog sticks, one on the left and the right. Moreover, it had four buttons – two on the left and two on the right. It also had a magnet at the back that allowed the controller to be attached to the helicopter.

"This helicopter is Natsuki's gift to you, Matsuda," Monika explained. "In addition to manga, she also loves remote-controlled aircraft. I guess she wanted to you to know the joys of flying as her last gift."

Matsuda examined the miniature helicopter intensely. Natsuki wanted him to have this? Matsuda had to admit, it sure looked great. Whether it was she or someone else, the design looked great.

"The stick on the right move the helicopter forward, backward, left and right, while the left stick moves the helicopter up, down and spin the nose of the helicopter left and right. Of course, you'll have to figure out the hang of it yourself. But for now, these are the basics of remote-controlled helicopter flight. Also, you'll notice that there are two buttons on the left and right side each. This is where this model differs greatly from other helicopters. The button furthest to the left allows you to shoot bullets of dark energy. The device you see under the helicopter produces these bullets, so don't worry about losing ammo. Be mindful about who you're shooting at. These bullets can kill you if you're not careful," Monika warned Matsuda.

Matsuda took this advice to heart. That was also when he noticed the turrets at the front of helicopter that probably were internally linked to the square machinery at the bottom of the helicopter. He whistled impressed.

"Man! This thing is lethal…" Matsuda remarked, as he gazed at the turrets.

"The button on the center-left," Monika continued. "Allows you to drop glue-like dark matter on your opponents from the bottom of the helicopter. It's no different from Motohama's gloves, except that it takes longer to produce those black cubes. However, the helicopter can produce them in larger sizes and drop them from above. Pretty cool, right? The button on the center right… well… it is best if you see for yourself what it does. Put it on the ground and then press it. Make sure to hold it down," Monika told Matsuda.

Matsuda did these things and to everyone's shock, the helicopter magically grew. In fact, it was about as tall as he was!

"Teehee… that's the best part of it," Monika put a hand in front of her mouth, while she giggled. "It can grow up to 3,75 meters in length, 4,5 meters in rotor diameter and 1,5 meters high. Because of its size, it can even carry all of three of you boys together. When you put the controller on the cockpit, you can fly the helicopter using the steering wheel. Just be careful when you're flying though. Oh, and before I forget, the button on the far right, shrinks the helicopter down to about 5 cm in length. It's good for stealth by the way, as it's also equipped with a camera. You can view the camera by using the wrist-watch, only… please don't use it for peeking on girls," Monika said with a slightly serious tone.

Matsuda just stood there slack-jawed in awe at what he heard. "Man… this is the best gift ever… Never need any more toys for Christmas ever again… Thanks, Natsuki… You're my angel…" Matsuda thanked Natsuki gratefully.

"Two more things: If it ever gets broken or destroyed, you can dismiss it with your watch and then summon it again. When you do, it will be as good as new. It will take some time before it's fully repaired. But once the green light on your watch flashes, it will tell you when it's operational. That goes for Motohama's and Issei's gift as well. And… because of its automatic repair system, you won't have to worry about fuel either. Just… don't use it for more than six hours though," Monika finished her explanation to Matsuda.

Issei whistled impressed, while Motohama looked at him with jealousy. Why did Matsuda get such a cool gift?

Finally, she addressed Issei. "Now to you, Issei…" Monika said. "Activate your watch."

Issei did so, pressing the two buttons on the watch and the spectacles from before appeared on his nose.

"You wanted to become a detective and so… Sayori wanted to give you these glasses."

Issei listened attentively, since he himself had wanted to know what awesomeness, he had gotten.

"These glasses, allow you to scan the area and people, like a detective would. It goes for heat, voltage, toxicity, energy, water, even magical auras and signatures. While, certainly using a dragonized nose, or dragonized ears and eyes have their advantages, these glasses give you a technical edge you won't be able to have otherwise. It also can take pictures, make videos, save and analyze voices… there probably are many other things I forgot to mention, but you can find out all of that by yourself," Monika explained to Issei. "It's the ultimate detective tool, though be careful about revealing its existence to anybody. It will only cause you plenty of inconveniences if word gets out."

Issei immediately tried out the buttons, as he looked through all the different options. It's like a smartphone, except as glasses.

 **[Glasses are supposed to be better than a draconic body…? Ridiculous…]** Ddraig seemed to grumble for a bit for some reason, but Issei paid him no heed, being too mesmerized by the cool glasses at hand. Not only that, but while Issei was checking out its features, he gently smiled as he remembered the person who gave him this gift.

"Sayori… even though… you can't be there for me anymore… At least, I've got something to remember you by…" Issei spoke to the now-gone Sayori fondly.

"Now that I've explained everything you need to know, I need you to listen up once more, please," Monika spoke up. "I know you're probably enjoying your new presents, but… I, too, have some words to say… it's important." This got everyone to stop focusing on their toys and turn their heads towards Monika's hologram.

To their surprise, Monika made a typical Japanese bow. "Thank you for helping us. I say this from the bottom of my heart."

Monika then stood up straight again. "You put your lives on the risk… for me and the others. We'll never forget it. I know that we haven't been honest to you. I… we… lied to you and put you in unnecessary danger. And yet… you still helped us. So, thank you… very much."

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other. Neither of them knew what to say. However, Monika wasn't finished yet.

"Now that Yuri, Natsuki and Sayori have finished giving their farewell gifts, it's time I gave mine," Monika announced.

What!? Another gift!?

The perverted trio was caught off guard. Just how many presents were they getting?

"However, my gift isn't something you'll receive here," Monika told them. "In fact, you'll only get to it later once this recording is done."

"Huh?" Issei said confused.

"How is Monika supposed to give us something after the recording? No, scratch that. How are we going to get anything from her at all?" Matsuda asked, as he scratched his head.

"But before I come to that," Monika's hologram continued. "You need to know what's going to happen in a few minutes."

 **[In a few minutes?]** Ddraig asked this time.

(Rumble…)

As if answering his question, there was a distant rumbling whose tremors could even be felt by the trio of friends.

"What was that?" Motohama asked concerned, as he maintained his balance.

"Could this be…" Matsuda started, equally concerned at what was happening.

"…an earthquake?" Issei finished.

"In a few minutes this dimension, along with Sakabasu Facility, is going to break apart. Both the prison and the facility are held together by her powers. With her gone, they're both collapsing. You need to get out till then."

The group of friends started to panic. They looked around fearfully and were trying to figure a way out.

"I know you're panicking, but please bear with me for these final words! You need to listen to this!" Monika said urgently.

Despite being worried about the impending doom to come, they mustered all their attention to Monika's hologram.

"I said earlier that I had one last gift for you. And this my gift: Go to the Nerima ward in City in metropolitan Tokyo. When you get there, go to the Neko Neko Café, which is not too far from Sophia University, and when you do, just opposite of it, you will find an apartment. That is where you'll be living from now on," Monika revealed to them.

"""An apartment!?""" Issei, Matsuda and Motohama exclaimed in surprise.

"You have to remember that officially you're still serving your two-year sentence. And while it is my duty as a warden to make sure you serve out your sentence, as a token for saving our lives… consider it off-the-books, Teehee…" Monika giggled.

"Dude, an apartment… in Tokyo…" Matsuda whispered dumbfounded.

"I… This is a dream, right?" Motohama whispered equally dumbfounded. "Please, tell me I'm dreaming…"

"To be honest, everything we've gone through thus far has been a dream… So, why not this?" Issei said with a whisper that betrayed an undertone of excitement.

"I arranged the purchase not too long. You see, I was betting that you'd defeat the succubus and I was right on the money – literally. I paid enough rent for you to stay there free of charge for the next five years. The landlord knows about this, so don't worry about explaining things. I did all the explaining for you. As for the rest of your expenses… Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri have given up all their savings for each one of you. You won't get them here, though. In fact, just like the apartment, you have to get there first and talk to the landlord, before you can get them – but don't spend them all on porn. Teehee…" Monika added and giggled, after her explanation.

"Oh… my… s***…" Issei said with his mouth agape. "The girls even gave us their life-savings…"

"But… wait! Won't they need their money?" Motohama queried. Wasn't it foolish to give up everything you own to someone else?

"You might be asking: 'What about you? Won't you be needing this money?'" Monika continued, as if expecting Motohama's concerns. "Don't worry about us. We don't need that money. It's worthless for us anyway, since the worlds we're traveling through will most likely use different currency."

(RUMBLE…)

Once again, the tremor struck again.

"Oh, nuts!" Issei cursed, while he maintained his balance amid the quake.

"It's getting worse!" Matsuda said, as he looked around in worry.

"Well, that's all I've got to say about our farewell gifts. I'm sorry to take up your time, when you could be getting out of here. By now, the tremors must have already gotten worse. However, I… we had to get everything we just said of our chest. There's nothing worse than not saying goodbye. So, anyway… you must be wondering how to get out of here. Here's what you need to do. Pay attention because I won't say this twice," Monika told them seriously.

At this, Ddraig, Matsuda, Motohama and Issei focused all their attention on her…

((RUMBLE…))

…even as the rumbling got more intense.

"Matsuda, in case you want to test your flying skills, now is the best time. Increase the size of your helicopter to its maximum size and get in. There should be place enough for the three of you, so you should have no problems getting inside. Next, you need to place the controller in the cockpit and then start flying, make sure you're seated tight first. Once, you've lifted off, you'll see a portal that will lead you back to the facility. The facility is crumbling, so you'll have to get out of there, too. Once you leave the building, it's not over yet. There's still the barrier that is spread over the facility. Normally, you wouldn't be able to break it. But now that the barrier is disintegrating, you can destroy it with a Dragon Shot. It's risky, but it's the only way. The barrier will implode and destroy everything inside it, if you don't do something about it," Monika advised them urgently.

((RUMBLE…))

"Whoa!" "Waaah!" "Oof!"

The trio fell over at the intensity of the tremor. Additionally, there were fissures forming on the floor. And just below them, Issei saw… Dark Energy!

"Now, hurry! Get in! And when you get out there and live your lives to the fullest... Please… don't forget us… That is all… good… luck…" Monika's voice faded, as the recording finally ended.

Seeing that the recording has ended, Issei stood up and put a hand in front of chest. "Don't worry… I won't forget… for all your sakes… especially Sayori's," he swore to Monika.

((RUMBLE!))

"Agh!" Issei fell down to the floor again and saw the pitch-black fissures on the white featureless floor widen and nearing him!

"Issei!" Matsuda cried, as he gave him a hand.

Issei looked at his buddy, as he took it. "This place is going down! We need to get out of here!"

"You think?" Matsuda responded rhetorically.

 **[Cease this! We don't have time for this!]** Ddraig reprimanded them.

"Guys! Get in the chopper. Now!" Motohama waved his hands from inside the helicopter just a few meters away.

The two of them moved as one and ran towards the helicopter. Matsuda tried to get in through the opening at the side of the helicopter, but by the way Motohama was situated, he was practically blocking Matsuda's way. To make matters worse, the helicopter was rather small compared to a normal helicopter and thus less spacious, which is why one had to practically crawl into the helicopter. So, that made things difficult for them.

"Dude, move!" Matsuda compelled Motohama.

"Whoa! Hey! Watch it! I'm moving!" Motohama responded annoyed.

"Matsuda! Use the front door!" Issei shouted.

"The front door?" Matsuda asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah!" Issei replied, as he opened the door to the pilot's seat. "See?" Issei gestured, as if it was the simplest thing ever.

"Oh…" Matsuda just responded, as he hastily went in through the front and tried to get comfortable at the pilot's cockpit.

Issei went through the door on the other side and tried to settle in there.

At the same time, Matsuda put the controller into the cockpit.

((RUMBLE!))

Another quake hit them again, as the fissure moved closer and everyone was shaken up by the earthquake once again. Everybody clung to dear life as it hit. The helicopter almost toppled over, too, but managed to remain standing (not that it did anything to soothe anyone's nerves).

"Argh! Get moving! Get moving! Matsuda! Get moving!" Issei urged him.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Matsuda yelled back, as he silently tried to figure out which stick went up.

He instinctively pushed both the left and right sticks forward. Sure enough, the head rotor started to turn… and lift the helicopter into the air…

[[RUMBLE!]]

Not a moment after the helicopter got into the air, the floor under them broke apart and laid bare the endless, bottomless chasm beneath them.

Everyone looked wide-eyed, as they realized that if Matsuda hadn't gotten the helicopter of by just a second, they would all be falling to their dooms!

 **[Young Matsuda! Focus on your surroundings! We need your attention!]** Ddraig called from the Boosted Gear.

Matsuda shook his head wildly, as he focused on flying. Everybody's lives depended on it.

Matsuda put both of his hands to work. The helicopter flew forward and upward, while the floor of dimension continually shook and tore. Matsuda moved the right control stick to the right and the helicopter immediately flew to the right. However, this caused a sideway tilt, almost causing Issei and Motohama to fall out of the chopper.

"Hey!" Issei cried out, as he clung to one of the railings.

"Dude! It's tilting! Set it up straight!" Motohama told Matsuda.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Matsuda insisted, as he moved the right stick to the left, in an attempt to balance out the plane. He did, much to everyone's relief.

"Seriously! Get a grip, man! You almost killed us!" Issei admonished Matsuda, as he calmed down.

"I'm sorry! It's just… I've never driven a car, let alone flown a helicopter!" Matsuda responded.

"*Sigh* I just wish Monika could have told us more about the controls to this thing…" Motohama said from the back with a sigh.

{This can be done} a monotonous robotic voice came out of nowhere spoke up and startled everybody.

"What the f*** was that!?" Matsuda cried out, while looking around for the source of the voice.

"I dunno? It sounded robotical…" Issei tried to answer unnerved.

{That's because I am the A. I. of this helicopter. Greetings, my name is Phoebe and I am your personal guide to assist you in the flight of Chopping Board Type 1} the A. I. now known as Phoebe answered.

"Chopping Board Type 1?" Matsuda asked confused.

{The name 'Chopping Board Type 1' comes from the fact this a chopper, hence 'Chopping' and 'Board' because you're on board. And this is the first of its kind. That is why it's called 'Chopping Board Type 1'} the A. I. called Phoebe explained.

"Did Monika come up with that name? Or did Natsuki?" Motohama wondered aloud.

Before anyone could answer…

[[RUMBLE!]]

The earthquake intensified.

"Not good!" Issei wailed.

"How do we get out of here?" Motohama cried out.

 **[People, calm down! Panicking will not help us. Besides, Monika told us to look for a portal somewhere that will lead us back to the facility. Keep an eye for that!]** Ddraig told everybody with a commanding voice.

Everybody look around, while Matsuda tried to do his best to keep the chopper in the air.

"Up there!" Motohama pointed up and sure enough, there was a spiraling portal just about 100 meters up higher up and counting down. Issei and Matsuda looked up and took heart. Good, all they needed to do was get up there.

"Che!" Matsuda clicked his tongue annoyed. "Stupid machine!"

"What's wrong?" Motohama asked.

"For some reason, I can't get to turn this thing! I just keep facing in one direction, no matter what I do!" Matsuda complained.

{That's because you need to move the stick on the left to the left or the right. This will cause the nose of the helicopter to move in the desired direction and you can face your destination properly} Phoebe piped up to explain.

Matsuda blinked in surprise and moved the left stick to the left. And, indeed. The helicopter moved to the left.

"Whoa! It's working!" Matsuda exclaimed joyfully, before looking around at the helicopter. "Thanks, Phoebe! You know, you and I… we'll make a great team!"

{You're welcome} she answered. {Also, once you reach the desired altitude move the left stick back to the center. That way you will stay on level altitude. Do not worry about falling, as long as you're holding the right stick in any direction, the main rotor will continue spinning.}

"You've got it!" Matsuda said with determination, as he moved the helicopter up towards the portal.

The helicopter soared higher and higher until Matsuda reached the desired altitude and headed straight into the portal.

[[[BOOOM!]]] a frightfully loud sound came from the breaking dimension, causing the endlessly white floor to break completely. More and more, the black matter rose to the top, threatening to engulf everything in it.

Everybody had frightful looks on their faces, as Matsuda went full speed ahead.

"Hold on tight!" Matsuda cried, as he shut the door to his left. "We're going through!"

Issei followed suit, as he shut his door. Motohama, being at the back of the helicopter, had to close the two doors on both sides.

Everybody braced themselves… and then pushed forward, as the rumbling and black matter increased.

((WROOOM)) Immediately, the helicopter entered the portal and was sucked in.

"WAAAGHH!" "GUUUUYS!" "DDRAIG!" the trio shouted, as they were sucked in with tremendous speed and into the light.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:33 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, Sakabasu Detention Facility, hallway_

Out of the portal came the helicopter, rushing full speed through the corridor and the blades of the rotor almost touching the walls by a meter on each side. As Monika had predicted, the entire facility was breaking down. Rubble was falling down from above, as the ceiling started to cave in all around them.

"WHOA! WATCH OUT!" Issei shouted, as he pointed at the falling rubble.

"I KNOW, MAN! I KNOW! QUIT BOTHERING ME!" Matsuda answered annoyed.

{Warning! Warning! Flying in narrow corridors! Beware when flying through narrow corridors!} Phoebe the A. I. spoke up.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Matsuda shouted in irritation (quite the opposite of the tone he had used on her just a few seconds ago). " **Now** , what do I do?"

 **[Young, Matsuda! Watch out!]** Ddraig called out to him from the Boosted Gear.

"WHOA!" "NO!" "CRAP!" everybody cried out, as they saw a pile of huge debris up ahead blocking their way. If they were to go any further, they'd crash!

Issei was just about to tell him to stop, but then recognized the area where they were. He quickly checked to see what was up ahead to their right. Sure enough, what he saw was a lot of rubble and remains of fallen staircase structures.

'I knew it!' Issei thought triumphantly with a smirk. He now knew how they were to get out.

 **[Partner?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

Issei didn't respond to Ddraig and instead pointed in the direction of the fallen staircase.

"That way!" Issei told Matsuda. "This is our way out!"

"What!?" Matsuda exclaimed incredulously, as the chopper was just seconds away from hitting the wall of debris. "Are you nuts? There's nothing there!"

"Quite the opposite! To the right is the place where the staircase normally is – and that's gone now! That means, we need to fly up. The ceiling must be gone by now! Now move!" Issei practically ordered Matsuda.

{Notice: When stopping to turn right immediately, pull right stick backward and turn left stick to the right to face right. Then, push right stick forward} Phoebe suggested.

Matsuda immediately followed and the helicopter halted just before the main rotor hit the debris wall. The helicopter spun and after a few seconds of adjusting, it flew to the right.

"NOW MOVE UP!" Issei barked.

Matsuda pushed the left stick up and they did.

Motohama looked up to see if what Issei said was true and…

"Whoa! Issei! You were right! The roof **is** gone!" We can make it!" Motohama celebrated and would have danced for joy, if the cramped space of the helicopter inside didn't hinder him from doing so.

"Alright!" Matsuda exclaimed with a smile. "Let's do this!"

The helicopter accelerated higher and higher into the air and through the former staircase of the three-story building. Then…

…they were into the sky!

"Yeah, we made it!" Issei exclaimed jubilantly.

"Cowabunga!" Motohama eclaimed and high-fived Issei.

Matsuda laughed and did the same to both Issei and Motohama, while holding still maintaining control.

But Ddraig was more cautious. **[It's not over yet, boys]** he said.

"What do you mean? We're out, aren't we? What's there to worry? Landing safely?" Issei asked rhetorically.

 **[Well… that, too… but… No, I am talking about the barrier around the facility]** Ddraig pointed out.

Confused, they looked out the helicopter and sure enough… they saw a purplish shield shaped by magic, flashing and crackling in instability. What's more is that it was all around them with no opening anywhere.

"Oh, crud…" Matsuda cursed with a sour deflated face.

"It's just one thing after the next…" Motohama groaned with a face-palm.

"Yeah…" Issei sighed. "…our job never gets done."

 **[Partner? You remember what Monika told us to do, right?]** Ddraig asked his partner.

"Yeah, yeah…" Issei said with reluctance. He knew what Monika told him and knew it was a life-or-death risk, but right now… he just wanted to get it over with.

 **[Boost!]**

"…it's always this way…" Issei mumbled to Ddraig. He opened the door to his right and readied the Boosted Gear.

"Matsuda, make sure not to hit that shield, OK?" Issei told his pilot-friend.

"Roger that," Matsuda nodded, as he moved the left stick to the left, thus making the nose of the chopper turn left and make the chopper itself stop flying higher.

 **[Boost!]**

"Come on…" Issei said impatiently, while hoping to get enough Boosts.

 **[Boost!]**

"Come on, I've been fighting all night… I just want to rest…" Issei murmured.

 **[Boost!]**

While he waited, Issei looked downward at the Sakabasu Detention Facility. He may not have been there for long. On top of that, it was a death-trap for them, but nevertheless, he realized he would miss it.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei smiled fondly. Yes… of course he would miss it. It was like a second home to him. But more importantly, this was where he met Sayori. This was where he made sweet memories with her…

 **[Boost!]**

Alas, all things had to come to an end… Sayori was gone now and so were the other girls. Pining away would do him no good – especially now. All he could do now, was look forward… into the future…

 **[Boost!]**

Issei did his best to hold his strength. He was reaching his limit, but he knew he could do more… after all…

 **[Explosion!]**

…his goal was to become stronger!

 **[DRAGON SHOT!]**

The beam shot with overwhelming power – stronger than Issei had ever shot before. Matsuda did his best to keep the helicopter under control, as it was pushed back by the power of the beam.

{Warning! Warning! Maintenance of control inhibited! Warning! Warning! Maintenance of control inhibited!} Phoebe warned them.

While Matsuda and Motohama tried to get a grip, they couldn't help but watch in awe, as Issei's firepower hit the shield head-on.

Issei clenched his teeth. This shield was tough, but it was a dying shield nonetheless. Something like that would fall before the host of the Red Dragon Emperor!

"RAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Issei shouted, while he endured the backlash of the Dragon Shot. The shield was hit with his full power and was starting to make noises.

[CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACK!]

(((BOOOOOOOOOOOM!)))

The shield broke with a loud burst and a blinding beam covered the area.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:36 am – Outskirts of Kuoh, just outside the shield some 300 meters away_

(((BOOOOOOOOOOOM!)))

The sound caused by the destruction of the shield was so powerful that the peerages of Rias and Sona were taking cover.

"Wh-what was that?" Tomoe Meguri, a brunette with twin pigtails, asked startled. She had just taken her hands from her ears after the explosion ended.

"I don't know," a silver-haired girl by the name of Momo Hanakai replied. She turned her eyes to the now destroyed Sakabasu Detention Facility. "But whatever it is, it must be coming from the building over there. Isn't that right, Reya?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing," said Reya Kusaka, another brunette with two braids, instead of pigtails. She came up to Tomoe and Momo and pointed at the direction of the facility. "The supernatural presence of that area is now completely gone, including the shield that is blocking the way."

"Kaichou, what do we do?" a blue-haired girl named Tsubasa Yura asked her king.

Sona pushed up her glasses and said: "We'll move closer. If you see anything suspicious inform me immediately."

All Sona's peerage members nodded. This was when Rias came up to Sona and called out to her.

"Sona? Everything all right?" Rias asked concerned.

"We're fine, Rias. How about you?" Sona asked in return.

"We're fine, too," Rias replied. "I've sent Akeno, Koneko and Yuuto up ahead. They're checking the area out as we speak."

Sona raised her eyebrows at that. "Are you really sure sending your peerage members ahead is the wisest decision? Rias, we don't know what's out there," Sona subtly, but sternly reprimanded her friend.

Rias gave a smile in response. "Don't worry. They'll be fine. They've gone through a lot worse. They can handle it. Besides, I don't anything of danger, so what could happen?" Rias calmly asked Sona.

Sona analyzed her friend's expression and sighed.

At times, Rias was rather carefree – a bit too much for her own good. When would she learn that planning required prudence? In a serious situation with professional enemies, she and her peerage would have been killed. But now wasn't the time to think or discuss these things, so she let it slide.

"I hope you're right," Sona responded, as she looked towards the facility and then at her peerage. "Let's go!" she told her peerage and spread out her demonic wings together with Rias, before flying towards the former facility.

"You heard her. Let's go," Sona's queen Tsubaki Shinra told the rest of the peerage, before flying off.

"Hai!" the other girls answered and followed suit on their wings.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:46 am – leaving the outskirts of Kuoh_

"Issei! Issei! Wake up, man!" Matsuda shook his unconscious friend.

"Wha… what happened…?" Issei said groggily, as he stirred.

"Oh, thank goodness," Matsuda said relieved. "You're ok."

"He's ok?" Motohama asked Matsuda, but then saw Issei's opened eyes and made a sigh in relief. "Oh, good. You're alive… I thought you kicked the bucket back there."

Ddraig snorted upon hearing that.

 **[Hmph! You think my host could die so easily? It's going to take more than a mere explosion to kill him]** Ddraig stated boastfully.

"Yeah, right… Says the Dragon that wailed about 'not wanting to go back into another host again and wait at least ten years' or something like that," Motohama replied deadpanned.

 **[Shhh… Not so loud, you fool!]** Ddraig silenced him embarrassed, before turning his attention to Issei. [Partner, I'm glad you are alive.]

"Yeah… me too…" Issei said, as he stretched his arms, as if he had a nice nap. He looked out the window and widened his eyes.

Right now, they were quite high up in the sky. He could see fields, forests, rivers and clouds. He could even see Kuoh from this height – and it looked pretty big, and yet small from up here. Moreover, he could see the sun rising from the east and it was glorious.

"Guys… What happened… after I fell unconscious? How long have I been out?" Issei asked everybody.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other, as if deciding who would explain. That was when Ddraig took the initiative.

 **[Partner, the Dragon Shot you fired was so powerful that it caused the magical barrier to break down. However, you strained your body to the limit and thus fell unconscious. We feared something serious may have happened to you, but thankfully you were only out for a few minutes, so my worst fears have been allayed]** Ddraig briefed him.

"Yeah," Matsuda spoke next. "But the next time… Please, don't use that attack on my helicopter. The blast was so powerful it caused the helicopter to lose control and nearly hit the other end of the barrier with full speed! Thankfully, the barrier was destroyed, before we could hit it. We're also lucky that I managed to remain airborne or otherwise, we'd be on the ground with broken bones at best!"

'Your helicopter? Look who's getting ahead of himself…' Issei grumbled inwardly.

Issei leaned back against the cushion behind him. Now the both Matsuda's and Issei's cushions served as replacements for chairs, since the helicopter was too small to fit in a regular chair (moreover, it was at its maximum size, too). Motohama, on the other hand, didn't have a leaning cushion. What he had was a partially cushioned area with a railing and some seat-belts at the wall at the very back of the helicopter (not that Matsuda and Issei didn't have seat-belts, they just didn't put them on).

Neither of them said a word. They just relaxed, as they headed towards their destination.

Speaking of destination…

"Matsuda?" Issei spoke up, getting Matsuda to turn his face towards him. "We are heading to Tokyo, right?"

"Well, duh!" Matsuda answered him bluntly. "Where else should we be going? If Monika gave us an apartment, why not?"

Issei frowned at his friend's rudeness. But he wasn't in any mood to fight. He did enough of that already. "I was just curious, that's all…" Issei replied, after putting his hands behind his head.

Matsuda, feeling the same way, leaned back with his hands behind his head, as well.

Once again there was silence. Nobody spoke. It wasn't until after a minute that Issei spoke again.

"You know I've been thinking, guys…" Issei told Matsuda and Motohama, getting their attention.

"What about?" Motohama asked.

"Well… about everything," Issei replied, as he looked into the distance. "Just two weeks ago… we were just ordinary guys, just… doing stuff any other guy would. Watching porn and peeking at girls… but… just how things can change within two weeks… it's unbelievable…"

"I agree…" Matsuda nodded. "Losing your parents in one night is definitely traumatic, how much more life-changing…"

"Yeah, and then finding out you were the host of one the most powerful beings on earth, able to kill gods…" Issei went on. "…and then to fail big-time by losing my cool against some ordinary girls and then get sent to jail…"

"Oh, yeah…" Motohama spoke up with a shudder. "Jail-time… I hated that place. Always had to deal with Matsuda humping me in my sleep…"

"Hey, look who's talking! You almost smothered me to death with your butt!" Matsuda protested loudly.

"Shut up, Hentai-lover!" Motohama retorted.

"We're all Hentai-lovers!" Matsuda corrected him combatively.

"Guys, calm down. OK?" Issei tried to calm them down, which they did.

"Well… at least we got transferred to a much better facility afterwards, right?" Motohama pointed out in an effort to defuse the somewhat tense atmosphere.

"Yeah, true…" Matsuda agreed with Motohama. "But right after an assassination attempt and a court trial…"

 **[Oh, yes… And don't forget my awesome entry of me… The Heaven Dragon Emperor, Ddraig!]** Ddraig exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah… and your never-ending trolling, you troll…" Matsuda added with a snarky retort.

Ddraig only grumbled at that. **[Grumble… grumble… troll… How dare you confuse me with those low-lifes… grumble… grumble…]**

"Anyway…" Issei continued in order to prevent any more squabbles on board. "…we ended up at getting girlfriends at the Sakabasu Detention Facility…"

"Yeah, that's right…" Motohama suddenly remembered, as he and the others smiled fondly. "…That was where I met Yuri…"

"That was also where I met Natsuki and lost my virginity…" Matsuda added. "I'll never forget my first time…"

"Yeah… and Sayori, my first love… who taught me so much…" Issei finished.

And then, there was silence. Silence at the memory of their girlfriends. Their kisses, their hugs, their sessions together… but also… the succubus… her schemes, her plans and how she took them away from them. And now, they were gone forever… traveling through the dimensions, finding a new home…

"Natsuki…" Matsuda started to whisper in sadness.

"Yuri!" Motohama wailed aloud. "I can't stand it! She's gone! I miss her so much! WAAAAAHHH!"

Issei and Matsuda shed tears, as Motohama broke down. They bowed their heads in sorrow – in memory of the ones they loved.

{Attention} Phoebe the A. I. spoke up out of the blue. {There's a message directed to you. Playing message. *Beep*}

The trio stopped crying and looked around to see what this message was.

{Hello, Issei. It's me…} a familiar voice came from the speakers.

Issei widened his eyes in shock. "Sayori…?"

"Could this be another recording?" Matsuda asked in wonder.

"Must be…" Motohama guessed.

{…I know you may be crying right now that we're gone, but please… What I want is for you to be happy… so please don't cry…} Sayori's gentle voice said.

{Yes, that counts for the other two as well…} Yuri's voice spoke next. {Even though we may not be here bodily. We are with you in spirit…}

{So, please… for our sakes… don't cry… suck those tears up and look forward!} Natsuki spoke up next energetically.

{Yes, I know it's hard for you} Monika spoke up last. {It's also hard for us to let you go. But when we say goodbye, at least we don't want it to end in tears… but with joyfulness… and a bright smile, knowing that we all are fine and are off… to a better life. And so, to commemorate our goodbyes we wrote you song and we worked really, really hard at it. Creating a melody from scratch is… quite difficult, so I had to borrow a melody. At least the lyrics are our own, so at least some originality is in it. So... here goes…}

To their surprise, they heard a piano playing in the background and then they heard Sayori's voice singing.

* * *

 _(Played to the melody of "We plough the fields, and scatter")_

Because the tears of sadness

Come rolling down our cheeks,

The days are quickly passing

And days get turned to weeks.

Despair gets a hold on us

With pain to death they bring

To leave this pit of mis'ry

Now listen as we sing.

All good things around you  
can be anywhere;  
then march forward and don't give in,  
despite the en'my's glare.

* * *

Everybody listened silently, as Sayori sang. She was… really good. Her voice was sweet and gentle. But the song didn't end there, for Yuri was next.

* * *

Errors and trials you go through

Don't let them hinder you.

Because of friends and teachers

The trials you'll pass through.

For no man is an island

you always have a friend.

You will never stand alone

This truth stays to the end.

All good things before you  
are straight ahead you all;  
but be watchful, yes be watchful,  
be careful not to fall.

* * *

Everybody was impressed. Yuri really had a nice soft voice, but before anyone else could speak, Natsuki sang next with a typical moe-tsundere voice.

* * *

Whatever we may go through

don't worry for us please.

We'll be ok, adventures

Are gonna be a breeze.

We're on a great big boat

It won't go down eas'ly.

Take good care of my heli

Or it will end gris'ly.

All good things around you  
are ev'rywhere you go;  
so look around and look about,  
that really is so.

* * *

They all shuddered at the… subtle threat they heard in the song. They weren't sure if Natsuki would return to visit hell on them or whether she was merely referring to a potential plane crash, but whatever the case, they forgot all about it, as Monika sang with the voice of an angel.

* * *

Now that's all we sing today

So take these words to heart.

The bitterness and sweetness

They all are but the start.

When such things happen again

Remember now this song.

When you now come in circles

This song will make you strong.

All good things before you  
are ahead now, you see;  
so look forward and press forward,

And you will be free.

Yes, look forward and press forward,

And you will be free.

* * *

The song ended and the girls took a deep breath.

{Goodbye, Issei. I love you.}

{Take care, Matsuda. I hope you love our song! We put a lot of effort into it. So, don't forget it!}

{I'll miss you… Motohama}

{Farewell, boys. Thank you for everything.}

With this, the record ended.

The boys were stunned, unsure how to react, but they certainly weren't crying anymore – or at least tried not to.

They just looked at each other with an unspoken conclusion.

No more crying. That was their last wish. And now, they were going to respect that.

Issei looked out towards the sun and imagined the images of the four girls that changed their lives.

"Monika… Sayori… Natsuki… Yuri… We'll miss you… all four of you…" Issei spoke on behalf of all those present. "Wherever you are. I wish you… Bon Voyage…"

"Bon voyage!" "Bon voyage!" **[Bon voyage!]** Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig saluted the four girls simultaneously.

They all smiled and looked ahead. They all wondered whether they were also journeying like they were – flying through the sky towards the sun… looking for a new home.

Whatever the case, everybody knew… they were going to be just fine.

Speaking of fine. Issei couldn't help but wonder… about those who they had left behind in Kuoh, their old home. He wondered what they were doing right now…

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 7:34 am – Kuoh City_

Matsuda's father just happened to be on his way to work when he came across Motohama's father, who also was on his way to work. They hadn't much in common, except for their sons. But ever since their son's imprisonment and their visit to the Sakabasu Detention Facility just yesterday, both fathers have gotten better acquainted with each other.

Thus, they greeted each other and decided to walk together for a while.

"I just hope they would do well…" Mr. Todoriki, Motohama's father, a bald short man, said in worry.

"Don't worry," Mr. Hibiki, Matsuda's father, a taller man with brown hair, consoled him. "It's not like those wardens are those mean stereotypes you see on TV. They're lovely young women who want the best for them. They'll be fine!"

"But that's what's worrying me," Mr. Todoriki answered with a brooding face. "There's no way any of these girls could possibly be wardens… It's all too good to be true… It's like there's some kind of cover-up going on. I can just feel it… even my wife feels the same. She has even been reading articles about prison abuse all the time. I'm starting to get worried."

"Nonsense, you both need to relax… Look, even if that was true, what could they be covering up? That they are being turned inside out? This would be a dream come true for them," Mr. Hibiki said with absolute optimism.

"Let's hope you're right…" Mr. Todoriki said. "Either way, we're planning on visiting soon. Want to come?"

Mr. Hibiki nodded. "Sure. Should we go next Friday?"

"Yes, same as before…" Mr. Todoriki replied.

"Alright, I'll see you then. I have to go that way. You probably have to go this way, am I right?" Mr. Hibiki asked.

Mr. Todoriki nodded. They said their farewells and headed in separate ways.

As Mr. Hibiki went his way, he couldn't help but wonder as well. Was it really too good to be true? Beautiful women serving their prisoners in a facility with only the three boys as inmates?

Truth be told, the Todoriki's weren't the only one worried. His own wife was also thinking day and night, trying to be optimistic, while still betraying some degree of worry.

Guess, they'll have to wait till next Friday. Hopefully, their fears can be allayed.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 7:44 am – Kuoh Academy, during the break_

"Hey! Throw your soda can into the bin, jerk!" Katase shouted at the third-year delinquent who, who just flipped the bird and walked away.

Murayama glared at him, from the bench where she and Katase were sitting. Classes hadn't started yet and they just wanted to enjoy the warm fresh air, before it turned wintery.

Ever since, they were forced to clean up the school grounds about two weeks ago, they couldn't help but feel vigilant at any piece of trash lying on the ground.

There was just so much trash. They never realized just how much trash was lying around. They had to clean all of that trash up every day until last week Friday. And it just kept on coming…

Seriously! Were there just pranksters lying around in wait, just messing up the place whenever they were gone? Even with all the class that took part in that brawl nearly two weeks ago, (which people at the academy call the "Blood in the Classroom Incident") partaking in the cleanup, it still was frustrating. More so, when they were told (by the principal) to clean up everything! And the school grounds were huge!

Thankfully, they no longer had to do it. But the agony of dealing with all that trash has made them self-conscious – of everybody who didn't throw away their trash properly. Katase, Murayama and the rest of the kendo-club made sure that anyone who did so would get scolded. And… it worked – to a degree. Trash **has** gone down and other students who would follow up on cleanup-duty had a much easier time cleaning the school grounds.

Despite that, they'd rather have the perverted trio peek on them than do another such week worth of work ever again.

The perverted trio… it had been only two weeks and yet it felt like they had been gone forever. They couldn't help but remember how shocked they were when they saw the police drag them to jail. Admittedly, they were hoping for such an incident to happen for a long time and yet when it did happen… it just felt… brutal… surreal… more so, if one considers the violence that came before it.

Murayama and Katase sighed.

Even though the door to their classroom had been repaired and they were free to practice without being peeked on. They couldn't help but feel… guilty. Guilty, knowing that all this happened because Issei's parents were murdered. They mocked him and hurt his feelings. Now, what Issei did was inexcusable, but… even then he didn't deserve it.

They were horrible. It felt so bad that from time to time, Murayama would still feel the regret haunt her deep into the night.

While Murayama and Katase were thinking about all these things, they heard a group of love-dovey girls practically hanging on to a trio of boys who had really gotten popular for some reason. Probably because they were foreigners or something. Whatever the case, they spoke in very Shakespearian English.

"Behold, you are fair, my love!  
Behold, you are fair!  
You have dove's eyes behind your veil.  
Your hair is like a flock of goats,  
Going down from Mount Gilead," one of the boys said poetically to one of the girls, who giggled.

Then he tongue-kissed her and she swooned.

"Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep  
Which have come up from the washing,  
Every one of which bears twins,  
And none is barren among them.  
Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,  
And your mouth is lovely.  
Your temples behind your veil  
Are like a piece of pomegranate," The next boy said to another girl and tongue-kissed her, too, causing her to faint from happiness.

"Your neck is like the tower of David,  
Built for an armory,  
On which hang a thousand bucklers,  
All shields of mighty men.  
Your two breasts are like two fawns,  
Twins of a gazelle,  
Which feed among the lilies," the last boy said, as he did the same to another girl.

And so, they left a trail of unconscious girls on the campus grounds, who were wallowing on the ground with happiness.

"Brother, I thought thou art an atheist," the first pretty boy said to the last one.

The latter shook his head and gave him a gentleman-like chuckle.

"Aye, I was. But I read the Scriptures and ye can all see that I have been truly been born-again," the boy said, as he swayed his well-combed hair.

"KYAAA! So handsome!" one girl squealed from excitement.

"So… godly…" another girl said astounded, as if the boys were the most beautiful thing on earth.

"Give me your sperm, you pretty boys. Uehehehehe…" another girl giggled with drool flowing down her mouth out of the horniness of her hormones.

Murayama and Katase just sat there dumbfounded, as the weird group of horny students passed by.

"What the heck was that? And why were those boys speaking like that? What were they even quoting?" Katase asked question after question because of how ludicrous the situation is.

"I don't know," answered Murayama. "But I know that last girl scared the living daylight out of me. Ugh…" she shuddered.

"And why were they talking so poetically?" Katase asked.

"I don't know. Why do so many girls like them?" Murayama asked back.

"How should I know?" Katase retorted and groaned in frustration. "Could this possibly get any weirder?"

As if on cue, a newspaper flew into Katase's face.

"Hey! Whose newspaper is this?" Katase demanded, before she removed it from her face and saw the date. It was today's date. On it was the headline "Sakabasu Detention Facility wiped from the map" written in bold print.

Murayama looked at it and widened her eyes. Isn't that where…?

Upon realization, she read the article because she knew that was where the perverted trio was incarcerated.

The writers didn't know why it had disappeared, just that someone seemed to have destroyed it from the inside. Moreover, it also revealed that they had found bodies inside, including that of the missing police officer Yuusuke Honjo. His funeral will be held soon. A picture of his grieving brother was shown on the cover of the newspaper next to his dead brother when the latter was still alive.

Murayama and Katase couldn't help but worry. Were they alright or were they also among the dead? Whatever the case, they would have to wait for more details later…

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 7:50 am – somewhere in the skies above_

After about two hours of flight, the helicopter was still up in the sky.

Motohama had fallen asleep from exhaustion, while Matsuda and Issei were relaxing. Finally, some rest… in a cool helicopter, too.

However, Issei still had to think. What were they going to do now? They didn't know, but first…

…they needed to get to Nerima first and find their new apartment. Then, they would see what they'd do from there.

They flew towards the rising morning sun, flying eastwards towards Tokyo…

The sky was beautiful and blue, mixed with gold… the clouds were lovely, reflecting the sun's golden glow.

After all Matsuda, Issei, Motohama and Ddraig had to go through… they finally got some rest. And so… they sat there, staring at the sunrise… not saying a word.

However, Issei did have one question.

"Say, who's flying the helicopter right now?" Issei asked.

Matsuda looked at him in confusion, but then realized why he asked that. His hands were off the controls.

"Oh, well… It's on auto-pilot. Phoebe's flying it. Pretty neat, huh?" Matsuda chuckled at the multi-functionality of Natsuki's gift to him.

"Yeah…" Issei responded, as he gave him a toothy grin. "It truly is."

Matsuda grinned back, as he laid back and fell asleep. There was silence once again. But Issei couldn't help but wonder just what kind of adventures would await them. That was when he realized something.

The student council… the Occult Research Club… they were all devils… and they could sense supernatural energy – including his.

'I wonder what they're planning…?' Issei asked, before he drifted to sleep.

The helicopter flew on, going at 60 km/h towards the sunrise… off to a new adventure.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 9:32 am – Kuoh Academy, student council president's office_

A knock came from the door.

"Enter," Sona said.

The door opened to reveal Rias Gremory.

"Rias, I'm glad you're here," Sona said.

"Of course, Sona," Rias answered politely. "We've got much to discuss."

"Yes, especially given that there was nothing there, except for the ruined remains of the facility. There were bodies, sure, but nothing that indicated who or what the person behind that barrier was. We don't even know what that person was doing there either," Sona debriefed Rias.

"Unfortunately," Rias sighed, as she took a seat. "…However, there was something else my peerage managed to find."

Sona raised her eyebrows. "And what's that?" she asked in curiosity.

Rias put on a smug smile. "As you know, my peerage members managed to get to the facility first. As they got there, Yuuto managed to see something in the distance."

"And that was…?" Sona asked again.

"It was the sight of a black helicopter," Rias answered her with a smile.

Sona frowned at that. "What's so special about a helicopter? Helicopters aren't out of the ordinary."

"What I meant to say was that the helicopter was **inside** the barrier," Rias corrected.

"Inside it?" Sona asked intrigued. "What was a helicopter doing inside a magical barrier?"

"I don't know," Rias shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe the person behind the barrier wanted to get out of there."

Sona looked at her puzzled. "You're telling me that whoever did this was trying to get out of its lair? Do you mean to tell me whoever it was destroyed its own lair?"

"Again, I don't know," Rias shrugged. "But what I do know that whoever is in that helicopter was flying rather awkwardly at first."

"Awkwardly?" Sona asked again.

"I'm not sure. That's how Yuuto told me," Rias told her. "Anyway, after that, it flew towards the sun."

"He's heading east," Sona concluded, while pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Good to know, thank you, Rias. I'll talk to Yuuto next."

"Actually. I told Yuuto, along with Koneko and Akeno, to follow the helicopter to learn more about it," Rias said confidently, despite revealing the fact that they were skipping classes.

Sona sat there dumbfounded. "What?" she asked with widened eyes.

"And that's the other reason why I'm here: To ask that you excuse their absence," Rias said innocently.

Sona groaned.

She wanted to scold Rias how stupid she was. They didn't know what they were dealing with and that was saying a lot, given that they are supernatural creatures. If somebody could create such a huge barrier and cause so much destruction, there was no telling what that person was capable of doing.

Nevertheless, she decided to give Rias and her peerage a pass.

"Alright, Rias," Sona calmly responded. "But the next time you do something that affects your or any of their classes, tell me first. Alright?"

"You got it, Kaichou. Ufufufu…" Rias giggled, before standing up and leaving the room.

Sona still pondered about what she had just heard and realized… something didn't add up.

"Why, by all the Maous, would someone with such supernatural power ever use a helicopter?"

* * *

 **Oh, thank goodness, I'm done…**

 **It took me nearly four weeks to do this chapter – and four weeks to do the last one.**

 **I did not expect this chapter to be this long!**

 **Anyway, this is the end. The true end to the Succubus arc.**

 **One reason for the duration of writing this were the technicalities of the helicopter – especially the steering. I had to spend some time researching to find out about it. I hope I did so well…**

 **Another reason was because I had so much to write and so much to clear up. And to be honest, the reason for that is because I didn't want to rush it. A good story or a good ending is not something you do half-heartedly.**

 **So now, the girls have finally said farewell and the boys have finally moved on from this arc.**

 **Now, you might be wondering why I didn't let the girls stay with them. Well, I think of the girls as a foretaste of things to come. The boys would come across a lot of potential love-interests and… to be honest… the Doki Doki Literature Club characters would hinder all that potential.**

 **Also, I can't really imagine them staying in the High School DxD world, since… they're not truly compatible with the story.**

 **Presuming that you know what Doki Doki Literature Club is, I think you know that the girls aren't your normal anime girls.**

 **They're self-aware and know that they're trapped into this world of fiction, trapped behind the computer screen. So, to just leave them behind the computer screen in some fanfiction and make them look happy and content just seemed to belittle who they are.**

 **They are fictional characters trying to become real.**

 **Now… common sense tells you that they can never be in the real world. That is why I came up with the next best solution: Travelling through the worlds to find out the best of all worlds.**

 **It sounds like an interesting concept for a fanfiction, but it would distract too much from my original story, which is focused on the perverted trio.**

 **So, I'm reaaaalllllyyyyy sorry if you wanted them to stay, but well… I just thought they are better off being true to who they are.**

 **At least, I gave them a big goodbye – and they won't be forgotten.**

 **So, thank you Doki Doki Literature Club – and Dan Salvato for creating it.**

 **I hope he makes his next game very soon…**

 **In the meantime, let's talk about the gifts the girls left for them.**

 **The reason why the girls (or I) gave them gifts is because I wanted Matsuda and Motohama to finally be able to have proper tools to help them on their journey, instead of burdening Issei with their lack of abilities or tools.**

 **Moreover, I had quite a lot of fun imagining the tools the two of them will get. I had especially a lot of fun with Matsuda's helicopter, despite it being more difficult to cook up than Motohama's dark energy glue gloves or Issei's detective glasses.**

 **Speaking of the detective glasses, well… let's say Issei is going to need those detective glasses real soon…**

 **Now, let's talk about my conversation with Monika.**

 **Yes, I meant what I said to her – whether it be about what I thought about DDLC or my reasons for writing this story or my ambitions for this story. I truly meant all of that.**

 **When you write a story, you give it your all. To be honest, that's what I dislike about many fanfiction writers. They either don't give it their all or they just lack in creativity or they don't even try or even give up on writing.**

 **And for all you die-hard High School DxD fans out there. Yes, my rant was also what I thought. There were just… so many things that irritated me the more I thought about it. I'm not going to repeat them here because I wrote pretty much everything what I thought up above.**

 **Now, some of you might disagree, but these are my thoughts and opinions and it's not like High School DxD is perfect either – in fact it has plenty of problems.**

 **But anyway… do tell me what you thought about the succubus arc. I'd love to hear about it.**

 **I tried my best to shape the succubus arc as well as I could. It really took me a lot of effort.**

 **If you have any suggestions on how to go forward, please tell me. Also, tell me if you liked the items I gave to the trio.  
**

 **Anyway, thanks for being patient with me and I hope to see you next time.**

 **And to think… it has been more than a year since I first started writing… Certainly feels like a few months ago… and yet I've come so far.**

 **That's why, I hope to continue writing and hopefully won't take, like four weeks to finish. Instead, I'll try to keep it down to 2 – 3 weeks per chapter.**

 **So, thank you for reading and see you soon.**

 **Until then**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	25. Chapter 17 - Gullinbursti Arc, Part 1

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **I wanted to finish this chapter just before the year ended and… it looks like I made it – right in time for the start of a new arc.**

 **As of now, the perverted quartet are on their way to Nerima in Tokyo with Matsuda's new size-changing helicopter.**

 **After defeating the succubus back in Sakabasu Detention Facility, our heroes save the girls from Doki Doki Literature Club. Unfortunately, Matsuda, Motohama and Issei say their sad, but bittersweet goodbyes to their girlfriends Natsuki, Yuri and Sayori respectively (and Monika, of course).**

 **As the girls leave for other dimensions to find their new home, while the perverted quartet leave for Nerima in the Tokyo Metropolis. After escaping from the crumbling dimension, building and barrier, the perverted quartet make their way to their destination on Matsuda's new size-changing helicopter.**

 **What's going to happen to them? Are they going to make it to Nerima – the apartment Monika left for them?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 17 – Gullinbursti Arc, Part 1

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:34 am – somewhere in the skies above_

It was a beautiful morning up in the skies of Japan. It was windy and cold, but the sky was clear and sunny. Flocks of birds of all kinds were making their way South for their annual migration, since it was that time of the year.

If one didn't know any better one could argue that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Except, well… for one thing…

"Watch out. Flocks of birds," a short white-haired girl with leathery wings said to her companions with a monotonous tone and neutral expression.

"You got it!" a blonde-haired pretty-looking boy replied.

"Ufufufu… right away!" a busty black-haired girl with a pony-tail giggled.

Both of them, having leathery wings like the first girl, dodged gracefully, as they flew through the sky. The two girls flew over the V-shaped flock, the boy flew under it. After the flock had flown past them, they flew closer to each other again.

"Ufufu…" the black-haired girl laughed. "This is fun! Why haven't we done this sooner?"

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying this, Senpai," the blond-haired boy said with a gentle smile. "But we shouldn't lose our target out of our sight."

The white-haired girl, who kept her monotonous tone and neutral facial expression, spoke up. "Yuuto-senpai, is right," she said to the black-haired girl. "And we need to think of a plan on what to do with it, too. So, don't lose sight focus on the mission, Akeno-senpai."

The girl called Akeno just giggled. "My, my… so serious… Ufufu…"

"Anyway," the boy called Yuuto said. "Let's hurry up. I get the feeling that the longer we take, the more lessons we have to catch up. I really don't want to be burdened with a lot of homework."

"Don't worry. Ufufufu…" the Akeno giggled again. "I don't lose sight of my target that easily… especially if it's a helicopter."

"Yes… Though speaking of which, I still can't believe a helicopter could do something like that. I mean, there's no way it could have such a powerful arsenal inside to destroy a magical barrier. So, logically that would mean that somebody inside it had the ability to do so. Probably with the help of a Sacred Gear of some kind. Any ideas on what it could be, Koneko?" Yuuto asked the white-haired girl.

The stoic girl called Koneko just shook her head. "Nope. No idea," she simply answered.

"Me neither, but whoever it is…" Akeno said with a smile, before it turned… sadistic for some reason, her hands forming lightning. "…I hope that whoever is behind that blast can endure some punishment. Ufufufu…" she laughed cheerfully, but creepily.

At Akeno's rush of excitement, she picked up her speed and flew faster, causing the other two to follow her suit.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:36 am – somewhere in the skies above some 300 meters ahead_

"Whoa!" Issei yelped, having just awoken from a nightmare.

Both Matsuda and Motohama had also awoken upon Issei's cry and were breathing heavily. Their surprised looks turned into glares when they turned to Issei.

"Dude! What the heck!?" Motohama scolded Issei.

"Yeah, man! What was all the yelling for?" Matsuda demanded.

Issei raised his hands defensively in a bid to calm them down.

"Look, guys. I'm sorry. I… uh… just had this bad dream that's all…" Issei explained nervously.

Motohama simply frowned. "Well, could you please not shout? We're trying to get some shut-eye here. I mean… considering what we had to go through just like…" he pauses to look at his special watch. "…three hours or so, we couldn't even get some proper sleep – and we most certainly deserve that!"

"Yeah. But now that we're awake, tell us what your dream was," Matsuda insisted.

Issei sighed, as he thought about his dream, before replying. "I… had this dream that Akeno Himejima was flying through the air, smiling with this… sadistic, yandere-style grin and was going to fry the living crap out of us…"

Motohama raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. "Akeno Himejima? Sadistic and yandere-style?" Motohama questioned skeptically.

"As if," Matsuda scoffed. "And why would she want to fry us anyway? It's not like we ever peeked on her."

"Wish we did though, before we left…" Issei groaned.

It was then that Matsuda and Motohama took on somber looks on their faces.

"Oh, yeah… I wonder how my mom and dad are…" Motohama said, as he looked out the window, hoping somehow to see Kuoh from where they were.

"Me too…" Matsuda added quietly, looking outside as well. "Now that I think about it, we're leaving everybody behind, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are…" Issei said, as he looked out in the sky with his two buddies. "…I wonder if… we really should do this… you know… leaving Kuoh, leaving our families behind, leaving the academy behind, too… Wouldn't it all be better… to go back?"

Matsuda and Motohama didn't say a thing. They looked out into the horizon for a good time, before Matsuda answered.

"Dude, you know we can't do that, right?" Matsuda responded neutrally, not turning his face away from the blue sky and white cumulus clouds, covering the earth below.

Issei didn't turn away upon answering him. "I know, it's just… I just wish we could…"

"I wish so, too…" Motohama spoke up. "I mean, I miss my parents, Kuoh Academy, my porn-collection…"

"Oh, yeah… and my porn-collection. I forgot about those," Matsuda added quickly.

"And mine. I bet they're collecting dust at home…" Issei said, while feeling down.

"Well, yeah… But anyway… What I'm trying to say is… that we're fugitives… we can't go back. If we go back, the cops and… pretty much everyone in Kuoh would recognize us and before we know it, we're back in jail – a real one, might I add," Motohama said seriously.

"Yeah… no way I'd ever want that to happen," Issei said with a shudder.

"I agree," Matsuda stated with a nod. "Though, I wonder… just how my folks are feeling… or will feel once they find out that Sakabasu Detention Facility no longer exists. I mean, we just disappeared with no trace whatsoever, right? For all they know, we might be dead or missing. I'm just worried they might go off the deep-end…" he added in worry.

Motohama widened his eyes upon realizing something. "Yeah… you're right… My parents would be worried, too. And the worst part is that we can't contact them… or tell them we're alright. They'll be worried to death. What are we going to do?" Motohama said anxiously.

Issei didn't know what to say. For one, he didn't have that kind of problem, since his parents were dead (which may be the only blessing that may have come out of it, in addition to gaining the Boosted Gear – not that he'd ever give up his parents for anything).

Another reason was because Issei tried hard to think of a solution that may placate their worries. On the one hand, he wanted to suggest that they call their parents once they landed. However, there were other concerns that needed to be addressed, as well. How would the three of them explain their parents how they got out of the facility? There was no way they were going to tell them about the supernatural. Doing that might put them at risk. And even if they decided to tell their parents, where would they go from there? Go back home or alive in Tokyo, while staying in contact with their parents. What if the Japanese authorities in Tokyo happened to find out about their whereabouts through some means and come after them?

Issei had questions after questions, none of which were easy to answer. But he knew that an answer had to come – one way or the other.

Suddenly, the Boosted Gear manifested itself and Ddraig spoke up, making sure everybody could hear him.

 **[Partner]** Ddraig interrupted Issei's thoughts gaining his attention. **[I know you've got a lot of things to worry about, but these things can wait. For now, focus on getting to Nerima and the rest can be solved then. Besides, I don't think you three need to worry about doing all this hiding by yourselves. There is someone who might be of assistance to you on this.]**

This got not only Issei's attention, but Matsuda's and Motohama's attention, too. Motohama immediately spoke up.

"Who? Who is this someone you're talking about?" Motohama asked interested.

 **[Don't you remember what Monika told you about getting the apartment?]** Ddraig asked.

All of them tried to remember, but shook their heads when they couldn't.

Ddraig sighed, before elaborating. **[At that time, Monika told you…]**

* * *

 _Flashback_

"I arranged the purchase not too long. You see, I was betting that you'd defeat the succubus and I was right on the money – literally. I paid enough rent for you to stay there free of charge for the next five years. The landlord knows about this, so don't worry about explaining things. I did all the explaining for you."

* * *

 _Flashback end_

 **[…and because Monika told the landlord about her payment and about three, it's safe to assume that she also told him about the reason why you are coming and why you are staying]** Ddraig finished his explanation.

The three of them were quite surprised at Ddraig's explanation.

"Of, course… the landlord! How could we forget?" Matsuda said, as his face turned hopeful.

"Yeah, the landlord can help us make a cover-story of some kind," Motohama said with optimism in his voice.

"Not only that, he can also help us get settled, help us out or something like that..." Issei spoke astounded.

They all looked each other with excitement and gave each other high fives.

"This is great! We can finally talk to our parents again!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Hip-hip-hooray! Ddraig just made our day!" Issei praised Ddraig in a rhyme.

 **[Oh… please… you flatter me…]** Ddraig said, being positively flustered. **[It was nothing really…]**

"Ahahaha! Oh yeah! I can see it! An apartment, a new school, contacting our parents, new gadgets… We're hitting this off big time! We're on an epic adventure and everything just keeps on getting better! There's nothing that could possibly go wrong now!" Motohama laughed delighted, sincerely believing nothing could go wrong.

But he was wrong.

[ZAAAP!]

A flash of lightning streaked right passed by the helicopter, causing everyone to freeze.

Nobody said a word for a few seconds.

"Wha… What was that?" Issei finally broke the silence.

"I thought a lightning bolt just flashed by a second ago," Matsuda spoke up next.

"How can that be? The sky is completely clear how can something like that happen in the clear sky?" Motohama asked, as he looked out of the window.

Had he been able to look backwards and not merely sideways, he would have gotten his answer.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:39 am – just some 150 meters behind_

"Ufufufu…" Akeno laughed, as she shot another lightning bolt at the helicopter, which passed by harmlessly right next to the helicopter.

"Senpai? What are you doing?" Yuuto asked her with some concern.

"Yes, senpai. Why are you shooting at the helicopter?" Koneko asked her with usual neutral face.

Akeno just looked at Yuuto and Koneko to her right and left respectively with a cheerful smile and giggled.

"I'm just trying to see if the helicopter will do anything funny, if we provoke it. Ufufufufu…" Akeno explained, as she fired another bolt right next to helicopter – this one much closer than the last one.

"Senpai. Our job is to find out more about the helicopter and whoever is in it," Koneko simply said.

"Indeed, it is," Yuuto continued. "Besides, I'd stop if I were you. You might actually hit it."

"Oh, come on. I'll be careful. Ufufufu…" Akeno giggled, as she fired yet another bolt. This bolt, however…

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:40 am – back with the boys_

[BOOM!]

"WHAT!?" "THE HELL!?" "GAAAH!" the three boys yelped, as they were jolted forward from the blast.

{WARNING! TAIL ROTOR HAS SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE! I REPEAT! TAIL ROTOR HAS SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE! PLEASE FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS AND BRACE YOURSELVES! ENGAGE EMERGENCY LANDING IMMEDIATELY!} Phoebe, the A. I., alerted everyone.

The boys picked themselves with groans. Matsuda looked at the screen next to the controller (there were several screens at the cockpit of the helicopter by the way) and was starting to get worried.

Sure, the main rotor was still working, but without the tail rotor the helicopter was severely handicapped. Moreover, wherever that bolt came from, they needed to get out of here!

"Matsuda! Do something, man, or we're gonna die!" Motohama cried out in panic.

Gritting his teeth, Matsuda responded "I'm trying! I'm trying!", before getting to work on the controls in order to get the helicopter to land safely.

Matsuda looked at the controls in a panic. How on earth was he going to land?

As if reading his mind, Phoebe spoke up.

{Switch off auto-pilot. Move left stick downward to land the 'Chopping Board Type 1'. Avoid unnecessary tilts. The objective is to land as safely as possible} Phoebe instructed Matsuda.

Matsuda quickly nodded, as he pushed the left stick downward.

Sure enough, the helicopter was descending carefully, something Matsuda was doing fine for now, despite the damaged tail rotor.

"Matsuda! I don't wanna die!" Issei begged his pilot friend, who tried his best to focus.

"I know! I know! Don't rush me! OK! I'm getting this thing to land!" Matsuda yelled back.

The helicopter descended lower and lower and was passing through the cumulus clouds. Issei looked out the window nervously and could see the ground coming closer.

'So far, so good…' Issei thought, while sighing in relief, though he was still a bit worried. 'Though I'd still liked to know…'

The 'Chopping Board Type 1' was descending lower into what seems to be a largely forested area, full of tall trees on a hilly area.

'Where did that bolt come from?' Issei looked up into the ever-distant sky, as if he was trying to figure out the origin the lightning bolt.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:42 am – up in the sky with Akeno, Koneko and Yuuto_

"Senpai?" Yuuto asked Akeno, as he stared at the descending helicopter.

Akeno didn't say a word. She was still smiling, though right now she was a bit nervous on the inside.

"What are we going to do next?" Koneko asked Yuuto neutrally.

"Continue watching the helicopter, of course," Yuuto answered, while giving Akeno a brief glance. "…and please don't go fry anything, Akeno."

"Ufufu…" she giggled, not showing her nervousness from her mistake. "…of course not."

"But senpai," Koneko spoke up, as she looked down below. "I see the helicopter is landing, but I can't see where it's landing. There are too many clouds."

Indeed, she was right. The cumulous clouds were many and truly were obstructing their view. The only way they could find the chopper was by getting closer, but being seen was out of option. For Rias had ordered them to stay out of sight, when following the helicopter (there was a risk that whoever was in it was too dangerous).

While Yuuto was thinking of a plan, Akeno spoke up. "I suggest we split and search for it on the ground. It probably has landed by now, so looking through the sky is pointless."

"Good idea, Akeno-senpai," Yuuto agreed. "Though, next time – I hope I don't offend you or anything – make sure to use that side of you more often that your sadistic mischievous one."

"Understood. Ufufufu…" Akeno giggled, as she flew down first.

Yuuto and Koneko flew down, too, each of them going separate ways in their search for the mysterious black helicopter.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:43 am – down on the ground with the perverted quartet_

Meanwhile, the 'Chopping Board Type 1' descended down unto the leaf-covered ground, barely missing the bough-filled yellow-leave bearing trees.

[RUMBLE!]

"Oof!" "Ugh!" "Hey!" Issei, Matsuda and Motohama cried out, as the helicopter landed with a thud, causing everybody to be knocked about a bit.

Now, that's not to say that they crashed or anything. It's rather that the helicopter didn't land as smoothly as it should be.

While everybody gained their bearing, Phoebe's voice sounded, giving some advice about landing.

{To avoid a hard landing, move the left stick slightly upwards right before hitting the ground. That way your decrease in altitude will lessen and your landing will be softened. Make sure to remain hovering, if you are unsure about landing. If you are sure, slowly decrease altitude till you touch the ground} Phoebe instructed Matsuda a bit too late, causing Matsuda to glare at wherever Phoebe's voice is coming from.

"Yeah… thanks for the tip. You came **just** at the right time with your advice. Thanks," Matsuda thanked Phoebe sarcastically, as he righted himself up.

Seeing out the window, Matsuda could see that they had touched the ground and could now go out. He opened the door and stepped out, Issei and Motohama doing the same. They looked about them and what they experienced was a sight of beauty.

What everybody saw were trees and fallen autumn leaves all over the place. The morning sunshine rays were shining through the trees, giving the boys a beautiful spectacle to behold. Also, the smell of damp forest leaves and wet trees was permeating the air, refreshing the souls of the boys after nearly two weeks of incarceration and several hours of being stuck in a stuffy small helicopter.

Speaking of which…

{Captain} Phoebe's voice piped up once again, interrupting everybody's forest gazing (especially Matsuda). {'Chopping Board Type 1' has suffered major damage at tail rotor and is in need of repair. Dismissal via watch recommended to repair damage. If dismissal is desired, please press the same two buttons on the watch that are used to summon 'Chopping Board Type 1'}

Matsuda looked down at his watch to find the buttons in question and found them. The helicopter was deactivated and disappeared, as if it never existed – save for the tracks on the ground and the blazers of the three boys being left on the floor (note: They actually kept their uniforms all this time, even while being in Sakabasu Detention Facility. For some reason, Monika never bothered to issue them new clothes, though she did make sure they were washed).

Matsuda wrinkled his forehead with some amazement.

'Captain?' Matsuda thought at Phoebe's remark. 'I'm a captain to her?'

Matsuda and Issei went and picked their blazers from the ground. They made sure to clean off whatever foliage was stuck on it, though the wetness of the leaves left some stains on the blazers.

"Oh, man… My shirt got all dirty…" Issei complained quietly.

 **[But look at the bright side, Partner]** Ddraig responded. **[At least, we've landed safe and sound.]**

Motohama snorted. "Yeah, right. Safe and sound… If Matsuda would have landed properly, I wouldn't have to be jolted against the window."

Matsuda bristled at that comment. "Hey! You do better! You try flying a chopper with… next to no experience! Besides, it's that Phoebe's fault! She should have told me how to land properly earlier!"

"Enough, guys! Enough!" Issei stepped in and decided to act diplomatically to prevent things from escalating further. "Despite some mistakes, we at least landed safe and sound. So, thanks, Matsuda. We couldn't have done this without you." Issei said with a grateful smile towards Matsuda.

Matsuda just rubbed the back of his head flustered and flattered. "Well… ehehe… it was nothing…" Matsuda replied, while Motohama just snorted and turned his back towards Matsuda.

After that, nobody spoke for a few moments, until Motohama turned around, having cooled off for a bit, and spoke up.

"So… what do we do now?" Motohama asked the others.

The others just stood there dumbfounded. Motohama had a point. What were they going to do now?

After all, they were stuck in a forest in the middle of nowhere. How were they going to get to Tokyo? So far, they had been flying. Matsuda had this idea that they would get out at the right place where they won't get noticed and go on from there on foot. But now, that the helicopter was gone (at least for the moment), neither Matsuda, nor anyone for that matter, knew what to do or where to go.

Though wait, speaking about the helicopter…

While Issei was thinking about what to do next, Matsuda checked his watch and sure enough…

"AARGH!" Matsuda let out a frustrated cry, getting everyone's attention. Motohama and Issei approached Matsuda carefully, while he facepalmed himself.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Issei asked concerned. "The way you just sounded, it sounded like the world was going to end."

Matsuda removed his hand from his face and simply muttered. "Twelve hours…"

"Huh?" Motohama said confused. That was when Matsuda showed them his watch screen.

"We need to wait **twelve** hours until the helicopter is ready…" Matsuda groaned in frustration.

This caused everybody to comedically fall down face-first to the ground (like in many animes and mangas), before getting up again.

"Twelve hours! This is outrageous! Why should we wait twelve hours just to get a helicopter recharged!?" Issei bellowed in outrage (forgetting that when helicopters get damaged like this, they normally need a lot more time than this to be fixed).

"Yeah…" Motohama added rather quietly in despair. "And if that wasn't enough, we're stuck in the middle of nowhere in some forest! That means no internet, no TV, no smartphones – which were confiscated by the damn police out of all people! – no porn… and no oppai!"

"WAAAHHHH! OPPPAAAIII! WAAAAHHH!" Issei cried like a baby.

"I WANT OPPAI AND LEGS! WAAAHHHH!" Matsuda wailed.

"I ALSO MISS YURI'S BOOBS! WAAAAHHHH!" Motohama cried pathetically.

This caused Ddraig to groan inwardly for a while. But as the crying went on and on, he could bear it no longer.

 **[SHUT UP!]** Ddraig shouted from within the Boosted Gear that had manifested on Issei's arm, causing them to hearken immediately and stop their wailing. **[You are men! Not big overgrown babies! And because you're that I expect you to act like men – especially you, Partner!]** he scolded Issei.

Issei was taken aback at Ddraig's accusation. "But… but Ddraig…" Issei argued weakly, but Ddraig cut him off.

 **[No buts! Crying will not get you anywhere! Even more so in a forest! So, pick your sorry excuses of men and find a place to camp and something to eat! In the wild, the only thing that matters is to fight for survival! Anyone who doesn't gets eaten. It's as simple as that]** Ddraig told them angrily.

"But… how will we find food?" Matsuda stammered, as he spoke up. "And where will we camp? And…"

 **[Issei and I will find food. We will hunt, pick up berries and mushrooms, while you and Motohama will set up camp. But we will not set up camp here. We will find an ideal place together and that is where we'll set up camp until the twelve hours of recharging is done. Is that clear?]** Ddraig replied.

Everybody nodded hastily, not wanting to anger the Heavenly Dragon Emperor any further.

 **[Now… get moving…]** Ddraig said calmly, but still in an intimidating manner.

Nevertheless, the three boys dried up their tears and started walking hastily. They didn't know where they were walking, but at least they were walking. As they left to find a place to camp.

What they didn't notice, however, just five minutes after they left the helicopter's landing area…

"Hmm… That's strange," Yuuto said, as he flew over the landing area in the trees above.

"I could have sworn that the helicopter landed here somewhere. It couldn't just disappear, especially considering that it's damaged," Yuuto said, as he scanned the area. He looked everywhere for it, before moving on.

While looking for the target in question, Yuuto couldn't help but admire the gaze, as he laid his eyes upon the golden leaves and the river shimmering in the morning sun. He smiled, as he took a breath of fresh air and continued his search. Yuuto lowered the height of his flight so that he flew directly over the trees. The leaves on the trees rustled in the masses, as he narrowly brushed over them.

Clearly, he was enjoying his flight.

What Yuuto didn't know (in part because he was distracted by the scenery and because the leaves were obstructing his view) …

…was that he would eventually fly right above the perverted quartet – even if it was for a brief moment.

"Man, are we there yet?" Matsuda complained, as he walked towards whatever destination they were looking for. His feet were getting tired and he just wanted to rest.

"Yeah, Ddraig," Issei joined in. "Why do you want me to find a river?"

 **[So that you can drink, of course]** Ddraig replied. **[Every living creature needs water to survive… well most of them… Unless, you want to be dehydrated, that is. Moreover, what I want you to do is to train your dragonized hearing skills. And for a dragon, using your senses is vital. So, tell me, can you hear the river flowing?]**

"The river?" Issei asked. "You can here it? Where?"

 **[That is for you to find out. So, use your ears]** Ddraig told Issei.

Issei focused. He filtered out the rustling leaves in the wind from his mind… then the wind itself… then the chirping of birds… until he was left with… the sound of flowing water. From the sound of it, it didn't seem to be a big or mighty river, but it wasn't a small one either.

"Ddraig, I found it!" Issei announced loudly, surprising his two buddies. "It's over that way! About some hundred meters away or so, but it's there!" Issei pointed with his finger in the direction.

 **[Good job, Partner. You're learning well]** Ddraig complimented him. **[You know, if you put your mind and abilities into it, you can actually get things done… which is more than what I can say about sitting there and whining.]**

This caused Issei to frown.

"Ddraig…" Issei started.

 **[I'm just telling the truth, Partner]** Ddraig defended himself.

((Rustle!))

A huge wind and a loud rustling caused the perverted quartet to stop.

"What was that? It sounded like it came from up there," Motohama said, as he looked and pointed to the top of the trees above him.

"That wind was a bit too strong, wasn't it?" Matsuda added, as he looked at the Boosted Gear.

"Ddraig? Any ideas?" Issei asked worried. He just hoped it wasn't anything unnatural.

 **[I'm not sure]** Ddraig responded. **[All I know is that I sensed something flying above us for a moment…]**

"You did!?" Matsuda asked Ddraig in surprise.

 **[Yes. However, for some reason, I don't believe that whatever it was had any intention to attack us. My guess is that it was just passing by. So, stay on guard. Issei, move forward. We're moving towards the river. That objective hasn't changed]** Ddraig instructed Issei and the others.

Issei mock-saluted Ddraig.

"Yes, sir," Issei said, as he went ahead, the other two following him, as they looked wearily above them for any signs of danger.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 8:54 am – in the forest_

Sure enough, Issei was right. Just in front of them was a clearing and in it was a river.

The river itself was about 2 meters wide and about 25 cm deep, which is rather shallow for a river. The riverside was sandy and partially covered in reeds and grass. The riverside also had moderately declining slopes on each side, leading down to the river. The river itself was glimmering in the sunlight.

All in all, it was a nice sight to see.

Nobody said a word, as they stared out at the body of water. Nobody moved either, as they were unsure what to do next.

It was then that Issei stepped forward and moved towards the river. He stood before it and looked at the water right before his feet. Issei could see that the river was clear and could see the bottom with no problems at all.

Issei slowly knelt down, dismissed the Boosted Gear with a flash and scooped some water with his hands.

Matsuda and Motohama came from behind to see what Issei was doing, but tried not to disrupt him, as they decided non-verbally to wait and see.

Issei took a sip from the water in his hands and his eyes widened. Then he downed it all in one go, swallowing it all, while Matsuda and Motohama looked in surprise. After Issei finished drinking, he panted to catch his breath, then turned to Matsuda and Motohama who were looking at him expectantly.

"The water…" Issei started, as he finished catching his breath and gave a thumbs up. "…it's drinkable!"

Matsuda's and Motohama's faces brightened, as they also scooped up some river water and drank it.

Their eyes also widened and drank it all as well.

Indeed, Issei was right. It really was drinkable.

And so, everybody scooped up some more water to quench their thirst, since all that fighting back in the facility had drained them dry. They just hadn't noticed it all this time, since they had been so tired. Now that they had tasted water once again, they were reminded of their thirst and decided to quench it.

After everyone had finished drinking, they felt refreshed and ready to go through the day with renewed strength. Only there was one problem…

(Growl…)

Issei's stomach suddenly growled. Matsuda's and Motohama's stomach growled, as well, reminding everyone of their hunger.

"Oh, man… I'm so hungry…" Matsuda said, as he rubbed his growling stomach.

"Yeah… me too…" Motohama added with a groan.

"Which reminds me…" Issei spoke up, as he summoned the Boosted Gear once again. "Ddraig? I was the one who was supposed to hunt, right?"

 **[Indeed, Partner. Matsuda and Motohama here will move towards the forest and set up camp there]** Ddraig reminded them.

"Back to the forest?" Matsuda asked.

 **[Yes]** Ddraig replied. **[Set up camp right behind that mound over there. Right there.]**

Everybody looked and saw the mound in question. It wasn't very high, but it certainly stood out, as being the highest point in their immediate vicinity. However, the trio didn't seem quite comfortable setting up camp there, which is why Issei raised a question.

"Wait. Why go back to the forest? Why not camp out here at the riverside?" Issei asked Ddraig.

"Yeah, why not?" Motohama reasoned, gesturing his surroundings. "I mean, the sun is nice, the waterside is beautiful, there is grass to lie on and…"

 **[…and flashfloods can come in and sweep you away unexpectedly and drown you… Is that what you want?]** Ddraig asked the glasses-wearing teen rhetorically.

Motohama was stunned at Ddraig's counterargument. He honestly hadn't thought about that factor. As a result, he shook his head.

 **[Good]** Ddraig simply said. **[If there are no other objections, let's move it. Matsuda and Motohama will get some firewood, while Issei and I will get some food. Understood?]**

The three boys looked at each other with uncertainty. This did not go as expected. It was already bad enough that they had to make an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere. But now, they also had to find food and set up camp. It's as if they were in 'Man vs Wild' and they were Bear Grylls. Well… except that there were four of them and worst of all… they were amateurs! However, pretty much everything they had gone through was one adventure after the other and none of them came according to their expectations.

Issei sighed. Oh well, it could be worse… At least this time, there wasn't anybody trying to kill them…

Besides, it's not like they have to stay here overnight. Once Matsuda's helicopter is up and going, they can leave this place and be on their merry way once more.

"Guys," Issei said to Matsuda and Motohama. "I'll be going with Ddraig looking for some food. You two go looking for firewood or something."

Issei was about to make his way through the forest until Motohama called out to him.

"Wait, dude," Motohama called out. "This forest is huge. What if you get lost?"

Issei didn't say anything, but then he gave them a confident smile. "Don't worry. I've got Ddraig with me. We'll find our way back."

Then Issei turned, leaving Matsuda and Motohama behind.

Matsuda and Motohama just looked at each other with uncertainty.

"Well… what do we do?" Matsuda asked his friend.

"Well… obviously get some firewood, of course. Unless you've got a better idea, that is…" Motohama responded.

Matsuda just shook his head. "Nope."

After that, nobody said a word. They just went back into the forest to search for some wood for the fire.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 10:25 am – somewhere in the forest_

Issei was currently wandering around in the forest, looking up and down for something to eat. But upon doing so, he realized this was not going to be easy.

Issei had been doing this for more than an hour now and had found rather little.

What Issei realized was that edible plants and fruits were hard to find. All he could find were some mushrooms and a bush full of berries.

In the end, Issei only picked the berries.

With the mushrooms, it was so because Issei didn't know whether they were edible or not and Ddraig couldn't help him either, since dragons don't eat mushrooms.

As for the berries, Issei realized that they were red raspberries and knew they were edible. And so, he ended up picking up the whole bush, which resulted in him getting about seventy of them. Unfortunately, not all of them were good, so he only got this amount, but… at least that was something.

Pretty good, but not enough to satisfy himself and his two buddies.

Which is why, after Issei carried them back to the camp (using his blazer as a means to carry the raspberries) and sharing his "spoil" with his friends. While eating, Issei had found out that Matsuda and Motohama had found a decent amount of sticks and branches and had laid them together in a pile. They told him that once they found enough wood, they would start finding rocks to shield the potential bonfire from the wind.

All in all, they were making some progress. Before Issei left, the boys asked him to find some meat the next time he came back, since they really getting hungry.

Issei nodded and immediately went out into the forest to find some meat.

That's when Issei realized something else…

Animals were even harder to find here as well.

Come to think of it, even if he did manage to find some animals… there was also the question of killing them and then… ripping out their intestines and innards…

Issei shuddered at the thought.

 **[Partner? Is something wrong?]** Ddraig asked, seeing his worries.

"No… well… yes… I… I really don't know if I can do this…" Issei replied hesitatingly.

 **[What do you mean?]** Ddraig asked again.

"Hunting meat!" Issei replied irritated. "I've never killed an animal before! I mean, I'm used to eating meat, but actively going out to kill them and… actively tear out their organs… I… how can I do this? No wonder some people become vegans…"

 **[Partner…]** Ddraig said with concern, completely understanding how he felt. **[…I know killing animals is something people like you don't like to do, but in this world… in the wilderness… it's either kill or be killed. That is the only law that exists out here.]**

Issei sighed, as he calmed down, yet he still couldn't help but feel stressed. "I know… Ddraig… It's just… I don't like killing things…"

 **[You had no problem killing the criminal that killed your parents or that criminal in the succubus' illusion or even the succubus herself…]** Ddraig reminded Issei, earning him a frown from the latter.

"They… they were different!" Issei argued back. "They were out to kill me and if I hadn't killed them, I would be the one killed or… someone else would have been killed…"

Ddraig could sense the tension and conflict in Issei's voice. Killing was never easy, especially for humans. That was the biggest challenge for everyone fighting life or death – the killing. He remembered when his past hosts also had to struggle with the dilemma of taking their first life. Yet, despite his experience, Ddraig didn't know what to tell Issei. Sure, Ddraig may have given his past hosts one advice or the other, but he didn't know how Issei would react or even if it would help him.

While Ddraig was contemplating on what to say, he was interrupted by the sound of squealing approaching them from behind a hill.

What Issei and Ddraig saw coming up from it were five feral piglets. They had light-brown and dark-brown stripes, just like you would expect from feral piglets. Their tusks hadn't grown yet and that gave them this harmless and cute appearance.

To both of their surprise, the five piglets came frolicking towards them without a care in the world. Being charmed by the cute little piglet, Issei knelt down and held out a hand towards them. This caused one of the piglets to move towards him in curiosity and sniff his hand.

Deciding to go the next step, Issei reached out to pet it. Upon touch, however, the piglet flinched back, squealing as it ran away, its siblings following suit. Together they went running back to the hill with panicked squeals.

Issei was surprised at their reaction, but he could understand their behavior. These piglets probably have never seen a human before, so running away from something one didn't know was natural. Yet, he was still glad that he got to touch a wild boar.

"Wild piglets…" Issei said happily. "They're so cute, aren't they, Ddraig?"

 **[Indeed. That they are, Partner… But…]** Ddraig said with a hint of weariness in his voice.

Issei noticed this and looked at Ddraig with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong?"

There was no answer at first, but then Ddraig's voice took on a sense of urgency.

 **[Partner. Summon your Boosted Gear. Now…]** Ddraig told Issei.

"Huh? Why?" Issei interjected.

 **[Do it now!]** Ddraig demanded, his voice a bit louder.

Feeling confused, yet still compelled, Issei summoned the Boosted Gear and it appeared on his arm.

 **[Good, now boost your power at least three times. Quickly!]** Ddraig demanded next.

Issei complied and boosted his strength.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei's power doubled immediately. While he was boosting his power, Issei took the opportunity to ask Ddraig about the urgency of his request.

"Ddraig, what is this all about?" Issei demanded.

 **[There's something you need to know about wild boars like the ones you just met]** Ddraig told Issei.

Issei had a look in confusion. "What about them? And why am I boosting my power?"

 **[Partner, piglets like these don't come traveling alone. They always travel together with their parents]** Ddraig explained further.

"And…?" Issei prodded Ddraig to speak further.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear doubled Issei's power again.

 **[What I'm saying is that any moment now, the parents might show-]** Ddraig started until he was interrupted by the sound of loud grunting and heavy galloping.

They turned their sight towards the hill and there was sight of a big black boar with tusks. It was a very fat boar, probably weighing more than he did. The boar was about the height of Issei's hip, which was pretty impressive…

…and it was running towards Issei full speed!

"OH CRA-" Issei cried out in a panic, barely managing to put the Boosted Gear before himself in a protective manner right as the boar sent him flying with its tusks.

"UGH!" Issei grunted, as he a tree back first. Issei felt winded, but then saw the pig readying itself to charge at him once again.

"BWEEEE!" the boar unleashed a war cry, as it ran towards Issei, its tusks ready.

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig called to Issei, managing to stir up Issei just in time to see the boar charge!

With a fearful look, Issei jumped out of the way at the last second for the boar to ram itself tusks-first into the tree trunk. The boar struggled to get out, but couldn't because its tusks were too deeply embedded into the tree trunk.

While it struggled, Issei had gotten up and saw the boar's predicament with no small amount of amazement.

 **[Partner, you have to kill it!]** Ddraig told Issei.

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear in shock. "Wh-wh-what!?" Issei gawked.

 **[Partner, hurry! If you don't kill it, it will kill you!]** Ddraig urged him, right as the pig slowly wiggled its tusks out of the tree trunk.

Issei hesitatingly prepared himself for an attack. He didn't want to do it, but it seemed like there wasn't much of a choice.

 **[Boost!]** His Boosted Gear rang again for the third time.

Just then, the boar managed to yank itself from the tree and was turning its face toward Issei.

However, it was too late for the boar…

"YAAAAHHH!" Issei let out a cry of war, as he rushed towards the boar with the arm of the Boosted Gear thrown forward for a punch.

[WHACK!]

The supernaturally enhanced punch hit the wild boar's snout, sending it flying. It landed against a nearby tree with a blunt thud, before collapsing to the ground. The boar was bleeding from its snout and writhing and grunting in pain.

Issei breathed heavily, as he saw his work before him. He just stood there, astounded at what he had just done when Ddraig shook him from his thoughts.

 **[Partner. You still have one last thing to do]** Ddraig informed Issei.

"What?" Issei voiced in protest. "But… it's down! It won't hurt anyone. Why would you want to-?"

 **[Partner. Animals like these are a lot more resilient than they appear. They need to if they want to survive. Besides, the moment you show any weakness towards your opponents, is the moment you lose your life]** Ddraig simply replied, as a matter-of-fact.

Issei looked on with pity and skepticism at what Ddraig required him to do. He didn't want to kill it, more so, if it was writhing pitifully on the ground.

However, Ddraig had a point.

There was a chance that the moment it got up, it would attack him again. And for good reason, too.

As Ddraig had said earlier, piglets would always travel with their parents and thus it safe to presume that this was one of them. It probably assumed that Issei was attacking one of its young, if the frightened squeals from earlier meant anything.

Issei wished he could tell the boar that it was all a misunderstanding, that he hadn't meant to harm his offspring and just wanted to play with them.

Unfortunately, wild boars would never understand reason and could not be tamed. Issei knew this and knew…

…that there was only one way to deal with creatures like them… in a situation like this…

Issei wiped the sweat, trickling down his face.

He had to do this.

There was no turning back.

The pig had barely scrambled to its feet when Issei socked its face again with another blow of the Boosted Gear. The pig was violently thrown to the ground once again, but Issei wasn't done yet.

He threw himself on the pig and was engaging in an impromptu ground-wrestling. Issei pinned down the pig's shoulder with his knee, while holding its face with right arm. With his left arm, he used the gauntlet to punch the pig's face with repeated blows. The pig struggled to get out of Issei, trying to throw him off, as it took blow after blow. The boar succeeded doing this once, by throwing him off. But Issei quickly recovered and grabbed the boar's face by its lower jaw with his right arm and its snot with his left one, right as it scrambled to its feet.

The boar and Issei struggled to the death, both of them straining themselves to overcome the other. The boar, being the smaller of the two, was trying to use its size to get under Issei and toss him from beneath. As a result, Issei struggled to get a hold of the boar.

Issei knew that if the boar succeeded, he would be mauled to death. He had to think of something or…

That was when he had an idea on how to beat it. It was risky, but it was a risk worth taking.

It was about to succeed in overcoming Issei and throw him of balance, if Issei hadn't doubled his strength once again.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang a fourth time, as Issei did the unexpected.

"RAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Issei roared with energy flowing through his body, as he let his left arm go of the boar's lower jaw and…

[WHAM!]

…smashed the Boosted Gear's right into the boar's throat!

The boar collapsed underneath Issei, as it grunted and wheezed for air.

Seeing his opportunity, Issei quickly put his left arm around the boar's neck, his white blazer now completely covered in dirt and leaves, and started to choke the life out of it.

The boar wheezed and grunted, as it struggled to get out of Issei's grip. It was starting to slip out of Issei's grip until threw the wild boar along with himself on its back, the boar's full weight landing on top of him.

Issei almost thought the weight was going to crush him to death, yet he decided to ignore that and instead focused on finishing his job. He held the boar in a chokehold, intent on choking the boar to death.

The boar struggled as its wheezing and grunting grew weaker and weaker. It tried to kick and roll its way out of Issei's grip, but because it remained on top of Issei with its back first, there was no way it could escape.

Finally, the wheezing and grunting, gave way to a deathly gurgling before the boar stopped struggling and remained silent forever.

The boars head dropped lifelessly to the side. That was Issei knew…

…it was done.

He threw the dead boar to the side, as he got up and dusted himself of the leaves and dirt on the floor as well, as he could.

He stared at the dead corpse for a while until he heard noises of grunting and squealing.

From the corner of his eye, Issei saw the piglets from earlier, together with another one of its parents. Issei was expecting a fight and was readying himself.

The other boar parent let out a cry and rushed towards Issei – just like its mate did earlier.

Issei narrowed his eyes and stood still, waiting for the new boar to come. He braced himself, holding out his arms in an attempt to intercept it.

The boar impacted, pushing Issei back, his feet dragging on the ground.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear boosted for a fifth time, giving Issei the strength to halt the boar in its tracks.

Then Issei caught its face and forced his gauntlet into the boar's jaw, making it cry in pain.

Next, he used this opportunity to throw the boar to the side with the arm of the Boosted Gear still in its jaw.

While the boar writhed and whimpered in pain, Issei grabbed its face and used his supernatural strength…

[SLAM!]

…to violently swing the boar against a tree! Its back slammed against the tree, causing the tree to vibrate on impact and causing leaves to fall down.

[SLAM!] Issei smashed the boar against another tree, also back-first.

[SLAM!] This time Issei threw the boar on the ground with such violence that the ground quaked upon impact (also back-first).

Issei was ready to repeat the action, but then realized by the boar's lack of action and the blood flowing from its back and mouth…

…that it was already dead.

Issei pulled out the Boosted gear from its broken dead jaw.

Issei was no medical expert, but he could tell that the jaw had been severely dislocated. Moreover, Issei could see that the boar's back was also severely fractured through Issei's brutal thrashing.

Issei looked at the hill where the young piglets were. This time, they were all by themselves… just the five of them.

The five of them squealed in fright, as they saw Issei looking in their direction. All of them fled downhill on the other side, never to be seen again.

 **[Reset!]** The Boosted Gear announced. Issei lost all strength and fell to the ground exhausted.

Lying on the ground, Issei looked at the dead boar and had a tired and impassive look.

He also looked at its dead mate just a good way off.

After that, Issei just lay there, looking into the blue sky in thought.

Issei didn't know what to say. He… had no words for what had transpired the past few minutes…

Out of all the things that could happen in a forest… and a wrestling match to the death with two wild boars was not one of them.

He was supposed to be getting food for himself and the others…

How did it come to this? Moreover…

Not too long ago, he was still hesitant about killing animals. But then…

…something just snapped.

Before he knew it, he was bludgeoning, pummeling and mauling two wild boars to death.

It felt so normal… natural…

So normal and natural… it was frightening!

 **[Partner?]** Ddraig spoke up.

Despite his fatigue, Issei managed to respond to him. "Ddraig…?"

 **[Are you alright?]** Ddraig asked concerned.

Issei simply chuckled. "Yeah… better than those pigs…" Issei said self-mockingly.

 **[Partner. You fought in self-defense. You did nothing wrong]** Ddraig said to him.

Issei lay there, just staring at the late morning sky.

"Nothing wrong?" Issei repeated quietly. "How can say that? Sure, the boars attacked me first, but the way I fought them… the way I brutalized them… that wasn't self-defense. That was… I was… enjoying myself… I enjoyed it, as I massacred them. It… it almost felt like the time I killed that criminal that killed my parents… or even how I beat up those girls. Come to think of it, I just killed the parents of those piglets just now. So that means, I'm no different from that killer and-"

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig interrupted Issei's guilt-filled rambling. **[Regardless of what how you felt, you killed them because you had to. This fact will never change. As for your feelings… I think I understand what you're feeling right now… You're frightened of losing yourself to madness, hate, lust for power and violence… But you don't have to worry about that. And you know why?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

Issei cocked his eyebrow. "Why?"

 **[It's because you have these feelings that prove you have a heart – a heart that abhors violence and misery]** Ddraig said to Issei. **[And it is because of that heart that you will stop right before you fall into the abyss of hate, madness, evil and all misery. Just remember one thing though…]**

"What?" Issei asked with interest.

 **[…never forget that you are human, even if you are the host of the Red Dragon Emperor. Remember that you have friends to protect and many others coming along your way who you will love and cherish… and who feel the same way in return]** Ddraig answered.

Issei said nothing, as he gave Ddraig a gentle smile. "Thanks, Ddraig… I mean it…"

 **[You're welcome, Partner… You're welcome…]** Ddraig replied. If one could see his face, he would be giving Issei a smile just as tenderly.

Then the Boosted Gear dismissed itself in a flash.

Issei put his hands behind his head so that his head could rest on them.

He decided to enjoy his rest. He needed it after all. After that, he'd make his way back to the camp.

What a day it has been. And it's not even afternoon.

Issei looked up into the sky and looked at the clouds. For a moment, he thought the clouds had the shape of two people holding out their arms towards their child, running happily into their arms.

Issei smiled, as he remembered his parents.

' _Please, whatever happens, you must never give up on life… You have so much to live for… so much to see…'_

Issei remembered his mum's words echoing through his mind.

"I will, mum. You'll see…" Issei said to his mum, before closing his eyes with a smile.

'I will live…'

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 10:42 am – somewhere else in the forest_

Koneko Toujou was flying over the trees, looking for the missing helicopter.

She had been looking for more than two hours and the results were fruitless. She even asked her other comrades via communication circle and they, too, had found nothing.

It didn't make any sense. How could a helicopter like that have disappeared? She knew it must have landed here somewhere.

While she looked, she heard the sound of squealing. She saw a group of five piglets all by themselves. The strange thing was that they were walking through the forest – without their parents anywhere in sight (and she looked everywhere).

That was when Koneko realized that these pigs were orphaned.

A glimpse of sadness crept up into her neutral stoic face.

They were just like herself and her sister… all alone in this cruel world without anyone to take care of them.

Koneko still envied them, though… At least they had each other. She, on the other hand, no longer had her sister by her side. Even though Koneko had a wonderful master and comrades, it didn't feel the same way.

She missed her. She really missed her…

"Kuroka…" she let out her lips.

Right then, her communication circle brought her attention and she took it.

"Koneko-san. Any luck?" Yuuto called her.

Koneko shook her head. "Nope. Nothing at all…"

"I see… Do you think the helicopter may have flown off?" Yuuto asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

Yuuto sighed. "Well, whatever the case. I don't think there's any point in looking any further. I'll call Akeno and if she doesn't find anything, then I'll inform Buchou and then we'll be going back."

"Understood, Yuuto-senpai…" Koneko simply answered.

Right before she was about to end the call, Yuuto spoke up once more.

"Koneko?" Yuuto said.

"Yes, Yuuto-senpai?" Koneko asked.

"Why are you crying?" Yuuto asked much to Koneko's surprise.

It was then that she felt a tear running down her cheek. She shook her head.

"It's nothing…" she said, before she ended her call.

"Wait. Wha-?" Yuuto wanted to ask some more, but was cut off by Koneko's dismissal of the communication circle.

Koneko then flew off into the sky.

So many memories… so many sad memories were going through her mind, as she soared into the air on her wings.

Even though flying was beautiful… it could not wash away her sorrow…

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 11:49 am – back at camp with Matsuda and Motohama_

(Growl…) Matsuda's stomach growled for the seventh time that day.

"Uhh… crud…" Matsuda groaned, as rubbed his stomach. "When's Issei coming back. I'm starving?"

"Me too… ugh…" Motohama moaned just as badly, pacing up and down impatiently.

Right now, the boys were doing nothing, except lazing around. The firewood was already arranged, with twigs, sticks and broken branches being set up in the right order. Rocks were circling the pile of wood to protect any fire from the wind and all that was put in a small ditch, they had dug with their feet. The dirt on their shoes was proof for that.

Lazing around after some hard work was fine… if they weren't so hungry!

They've eaten nothing for what seems like forever! Well… except for those raspberries, Issei gave them earlier, but they weren't enough!

If Issei didn't come back soon, they'll be a pile of skeletons in no time!

"I'm starving like the people in Venezuela right now," Motohama continued, as his stomach growled, too.

Matsuda looked at his friend questioningly. "Why Venezuela? Shouldn't it be Africa?" he asked.

"Well that, too, but… Venezuela is worse," Motohama answered as a matter of fact.

"Really?" Matsuda asked skeptically. "Why is that so?"

"Because of- Hmm?" Motohama was about to explain when he heard footsteps and dragging.

Both of them turned their faces to look and there was Issei… dragging two fat boars by their legs! Moreover, Issei looked completely dirty and tired, his clothes covered in dirt.

How on earth did he pull that off? What the heck happened while he was gone getting food?

They went up to Issei to ask him.

"Dude!? How on earth did you do that!? What on earth happened back there!?" Motohama fired off question after question.

"Did you like wrestle with the pigs or something?" Matsuda asked Issei to which the latter nodded.

"Well, yeah…" Issei confirmed tiredly. "…But first, could you guys help me in preparing dinner? I need to wash these pigs and remove their insides so we can eat them. It's a messy job and to be honest, after I've gone through, I could need some help."

Matsuda and Motohama nodded, before carefully getting a hold of the boars' legs and then gripping it tighter and helping Issei take them to the riverside.

While they walked, Motohama couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust.

Boy, they stank! And that's not only true about the pigs…

Issei, too, smelled like a pig and needed a bath.

Though now that they thought about it… removing the pigs' intestines, heart, liver, etc…

Ugh! This is going to be traumatizing!

They'll probably need a bath, too, once they were done.

Oh, well… at least they'll get something to eat after that… that's something at least…

"Matsuda? Issei?" Motohama spoke up, getting both of them to look at him, as they got closer to the river.

"Yeah?" "Yeah?" they both asked him.

"I'm never going to be a hunter. I swear on my life!" Motohama declared.

Everybody laughed at Matsuda's declaration and went to work.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 1:31 pm – after the work is done…_

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had just finished eating their fill of wild boar pork and were now full.

Man, that was good… It took them some time, but it was worth it.

Using their knives (which they still retained after taking them from Sakabasu Detention Facility), they carefully removed all the organs, drained the boars dry of blood and decided which pieces to cut out for them to eat. It was grisly taking out all the… ugh… intestines and what not… but they were starved and had little choice. So why not?

When it came to butchering the boars, the trio asked Ddraig for help, who incidentally knew how to do this thanks to the experience of some of his past hosts.

Matsuda, Motohama and Issei even learned something about skinning from Ddraig, which resulted in them having two fine fur coats, which they decided to keep as a souvenir. Issei was a bit uncomfortable about keeping fur coats of real dead animals, but was overruled by Matsuda and Motohama.

They each took branches, carved it at one end with their knives and then proceeded to pierce whatever edible piece of meat they could get their hands on. They ended up deciding to eat the legs, the stomach, the hind, the shoulders, the back and the ribs – roughly all the body parts that are normally eaten.

Then they roasted the parts over the fire, then the agonizing waiting and then…

…they could finally eat…

They ate so much that they practically ate up both boars – especially Issei, who to everybody's surprise practically ate one boar by himself!

Issei's only explanation for it was something along the lines of him doing most of the work through hunting and thus needing the most food. But he was munching happily while saying that, which made it hard for the others to understand what he was saying.

And so, they rested happily enjoying their food, laughing and talking about what they had been doing these past hours. Matsuda and Motohama were shocked when Issei told them about his encounter of the boar piglets and their parents – especially considering that he fought the adult boars by practically wrestling them!

The two of them were envious at first, but then Issei told them about how uncomfortable he felt about the way he killed those two boars and how he had orphaned the young piglets. That was when their envy turned to pity and worry for their friend.

"But it's ok, now," Issei assured them. "I did what I had to. As long as I know my limits and remember who I am and what I'm fighting for, I'll be all right."

Matsuda smiled. "That's good to know, man."

"Yeah, believe me. I was starting to get worried there for a sec," Motohama added in relief.

"Again. No worries. I am all right," Issei reassured them.

Nobody said a word after that. Matsuda, Motohama and Issei just sat there on the ground, looking at the fire. Normally, one should wait till evening, before a setting up a bonfire. But for the three of them, it didn't matter.

Camping out in the wild together was a fun experience. Messy and bloody, but they still had a good time.

Of course, they still wanted to get back to civilization and watch porn and eat proper food. Staying here was not an option for them.

But it was nice, leaving all that behind and being in the wild, along with the dirt, trees, animals and plants. Even if it was just for one day. No wonder people go out camping.

Issei remembered going camping with his parents when he was little, but he never thought about doing it this way.

Issei then looked melancholy again.

"Mum… Dad…" Issei mumbled.

He still missed them.

He looked at Matsuda and Motohama who were starting to get drowsy and were trying to stay awake.

Issei envied them. At least, they still had their parents, but he didn't.

Issei wondered how many kids out there didn't have parents. That was when he remembered the orphaned piglets.

He wondered how they were doing out there on their own. Hopefully, they were doing well and would grow up to become fine boars someday.

Issei smiled sadly, before he lay and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 1:56 pm – somewhere in the forest…_

Unbeknownst to Issei, the boar piglets in question were walking down the forest, sniffing for food with their snouts.

Suddenly, there was the sound of big footsteps coming towards them, slowly but surely.

The piglets stopped their sniffing and instinctively looked and to their surprise, they saw something unexpected. Something that made their hair stand on edge.

What they saw was the appearance of a huge boar. Normally it wouldn't have stood out, if it hadn't been for its humungous size of 2 meters tall from the shoulders to the ground and 4 meters long – a truly abnormal size that even the largest boars didn't have.

What stood out even more was its majestic-looking mane and bristles of gold, something no boar of any kind had. It almost had a mystical feel to it, like it wasn't of this world.

The five piglets trembled in fear at the sight of the huge boar and were about to run away until the huge golden boar made eye-contact with all of them. After a moment, the piglets stopped their trembling and just stood there, keeping eye-contact with the boar.

It was if they communicating with each other telepathically.

After what seemed to be an eternity, they cowered and trembled in fear, as if relieving some kind of traumatic memory. They turned their heads in the direction that they came from and nudged towards it.

This caused the huge boar to look in the direction the piglets were pointing and breathe loudly and menacingly from its snout. It turned his body at where the piglets pointed and started walking in that direction. Before it departed for good, it looked at the piglets one last time, as if to say farewell. The piglets were now sitting on their hindlegs completely at ease and grunted in appreciation.

They watched as the mysterious golden boar walked and then started galloping away into the distance. It galloped faster and faster. Moreover, it glowed brighter and brighter, illuminating the forest with its golden bristles.

But what was even more noticeable was the look on its face.

It had a furious look on its face, as it snorted out fumes from its snout. It almost seemed like it was angry about something…

Something that only it and the boar piglets knew…

* * *

 **Wow, that went longer than expected…**

 **Hello, everyone. Good to see you again.**

 **As you can see, the perverted trio is stuck in a forest in the middle of nowhere and… you might be asking: "Why did you make them crash into a forest?"**

 **Well, before the trio reach Tokyo, I wanted them to make a small stopover where I wanted our beloved perverted trio to get used to their new gadgets. I also wanted to give Issei an opportunity to develop his character and make him deal with his inhibition to kill.**

 **In the canon story, there wasn't even a single mention of any moral struggle regarding Issei or anyone for that matter when it came to taking someone's life. The closest thing to it was the death of Raynare by Rias. But in this case, Issei felt guilty for letting go of his first love, not because he was shy about killing anybody.**

 **In fact, now that I think about it… That's another thing I want to complain about the original story. Why does killing other living things come off as so… easy… I mean, why does Rias have no problem in doing so. Is it because she is a devil? That same question applies to the other characters, is it because they are veterans or something? As far as I'm concerned, there were quite a few first-time fighters in the canon-story, like Saji, Gasper, Asia… How come they get over fighting and killing – or at least watching it all happen – so easily? And there is some intense brutal fighting going on there and that's got to make someone wince, right?**

 **That's just another problem with High School DxD. It just makes all the challenges too easy. Now, I know Issei does struggle to the top, but… well… I still can't shake the thought that it comes too easy for Issei & Co.**

 **As for my version of Issei, well… although he has killed before, he hasn't completely gotten over it. And I wanted him to struggle with the idea of where the boundaries of justified killing are and what the consequences are when he crosses the red line.**

 **This arc is also meant for him to learn how to control himself. Admittedly, the original story involved this particular challenge when it came to Juggernaut Overdrive. And to be honest, this might even become important for my story as well.**

 **I should note that adding in Ranma ½ into this fanfic wasn't my intention. Nerima is a real place in Metropolian Tokyo after all. Perhaps a few refences here and there would do the trick.**

 **As for this story, I have to mention that I was planning on having the perverted trio remain in Tokyo. And then when the timeline of the original story begins a year later, have them involved in the events of the original story.**

 **I don't know if I'll follow canon or do something completely different, but do tell me what your suggestions are.**

 **Also, if it's possible, I would like to know at what day I should begin the canon arc (you know, the day Issei gets killed by Raynare).**

 **Give me a day on what day you would like me to start (e. g. 5** **th** **of July).**

 **If you can give me dates for the other events in the canon story, I would really appreciate it.**

 **Please read and review. I would love to hear from you.**

 **Also, Happy New Year to all of you! I hope to see you all in 2019, God willing.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	26. Chapter 18 - Gullinbursti Arc, Part 2

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hi there, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **Good to see you in 2019 everyone. And because of that, let's get on track with Issei and the others, shall we?**

 **After crashing into a forest in the middle of nowhere, Issei and Co. have to survive. While, out in the forest, Issei learns how to cope with killing his opponents. His opponents may have been wild boars, but Issei learns as he goes.**

 **After a delightful meal, a mysterious golden boar comes forth and rampages through the forest, looking for something.**

 **What could it be looking for? Is it the perverted trio? Are they going to be all right?**

 **Find out in…**

* * *

Chapter 18 – Gullinbursti Arc, Part 2

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 2:36 pm – somewhere in the forest_

The huge golden boar trudges through the forest with his hooves. Whenever it made a step, it made a slightly audible tremor that could be heard twenty meters away. Its bristled fur glistened in the sun, as it scanned its surroundings. It came to a halt.

It seemed like it found the place it was looking for. Looking at his surroundings, the huge boar saw that the ground had been disturbed. It was obvious to the golden boar that this was the scene of a fight. Not that that's unusual in a forest.

But the scene before him came of as much more devastating and more importantly…

…it reeked of blood and death.

Now normally, blood and death are nothing new in the wild and the huge boar understood that. In fact, they happen every day, whether it be the boars fighting each other or wolves and foxes hunting down smaller prey and eating them. However, there was something particularly cruel and vicious about what happened here.

The more than two-meter tall golden boar looked around and laid his eyes on the trees. Sure enough, he found something.

What the boar saw were bloodstains on the tree-trunks. Judging by the appearance of how the bloodstains got there, one or both of the boar parents had to be thrown or smashed into the trees with vicious force.

The boar growled angrily.

Sure, he understood that killing or being killed was a way of life out here, even if he didn't like it – more so if it's among fellow porkers like himself.

But this? This was needlessly cruel. There was no need to be this sadistic and violent towards a beast in the wild. While some beasts on this earth certainly can be considered violent and cruel, at least they were beasts living out the way they have always lived and trying to survive.

But the mythical golden boar knew better. The being behind this was no beast of the forest – it was a human. Humans had no need to kill a beast in this forest, they had more than enough food of their own – including farm beasts that they liked to slaughter for food. But to go out into his domain and kill his kindred like this?

They didn't do this to survive, they did this out of spite! And in doing so, orphaned those poor little piglets forever.

White fumes came out from the boar's snot in anger.

Unforgivable…

The boar raised his front hooves high into the air, before landing on them with a loud thud that could be heard from more than a hundred meters away.

But what happened next could be heard over miles and miles.

"BWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the golden boar roared with a terrifying roar.

Birds flew up into the air in a panic all around the forest, as the powerful beast let out its terrifying roar.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 2:39 pm – with Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig about a few miles away_

((BWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!)) the boar's roar echoed far and wide until it reached the ears of a certain sleeping trio of perverts.

"What the…!" "The frigg!?" "WAAAHHH!" Issei, Matsuda and Motohama yelped, as they woke up to the terrifying sound.

They were breathing heavily, as they recovered from the shock. After they calmed down, they looked around them in a panic.

"Guys, what the heck was that noise?" Matsuda asked the others.

"Was that a wolf?" Issei asked as well.

Motohama shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. But if it was, I certainly didn't imagine it to be **this** loud."

"A wolf?" Matsuda looked at Motohama and Issei with incredulity. "A wolf would howl. This sounded more like… like… burping and farting than howling…"

"Burping?" Issei said surprised, before narrowing his eyes and facing Motohama with suspicion. Motohama looked back at Issei with a frown.

"Motohama… Did you do this?" Issei asked dangerously.

"Me? What are you talking about? Of course, I didn't!" Motohama responded defensively.

"Well, the only one who has been farting and burping throughout lunch was you," Matsuda pointed out.

"What? That's not true!" Motohama insisted. "I mean, yeah. Sure, I did that a few times, but… you guys did it, too! I mean, Issei passed out gas this one ti-"

"I did it quietly at least," Issei said quickly, his cheeks a bit red. "I didn't do it as loud as you did, though…"

"True…" Matsuda confirmed with a nod, his look stern.

Motohama threw his arms in the air in frustration. "Why do you guys have to gang up on me?"

Issei and Matsuda looked at each other before responding and crossing their arms. "Because the facts are on our side."

"Yeah, but… didn't you hear how loud the sound was? It had to come from really far away. There's no way I could ever make these sounds on my own, right?" Motohama reasoned.

Issei wanted to say something at first, but then remembered that he had someone who knew better. He summoned the Boosted Gear, which appeared on his left arm in a flash.

Issei immediately asked, as soon as the gauntlet appeared. "Ddraig, you heard that sound didn't you. What do you think? Was that Motohama passing gas, Motohama burping or something else?"

Ddraig didn't say anything. Issei frowned.

"Hey, Ddraig!" Issei called out, knocking at the gauntlet with his right hand, as if trying to get his attention.

 **[I heard you, Partner… *groan*…]** Ddraig groaned in annoyance.

"What's the matter with you?" Issei asked.

 **[*Sigh*… One, I'm tired and I need my rest. Two, can you really not differentiate between a sound coming from flatulence and the cry of a boar?]** Ddraig asked rhetorically with fatigue.

Issei and Matsuda looked at the Boosted Gear in surprise.

"A boar?" Matsuda asked.

"How can a boar squeal this loudly?" Issei questioned skeptically.

Motohama on the other hand laughed. "Ha! I told you it wasn't me!" he said triumphantly.

"Yeah, whatever…" Matsuda waived his mistake off dismissively, giving Motohama a tick-mark on his forehead.

"But anyway," Issei went back to the issue. "How is that possible? Can boars really be this loud? I didn't know they could make this kind of racket."

 **[They don't, Partner. In fact, it's impossible]** Ddraig simply replied.

This caused everybody to be confused.

"Wait, but didn't you say…" Motohama began, before Ddraig interrupted him.

 **[I know what I said and I stand by what I said]** Ddraig replied. **[The sound you just heard came from a boar. However, boars don't have the ability to cry out this loudly. Meaning that something is amiss.]**

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were starting to get worried. When Ddraig said something is wrong or "amiss" in this case, then you could know that something is in fact wrong.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked concerned.

 **[I don't know. But I do know one thing. Whatever gave out that sound, must have been huge. Unnaturally huge, if I may say so]** Ddraig explained.

The three boys stayed silent, as they tried to comprehend just how huge the monster is. Each of them had different images, yet all of them had the same fear of the unknown in their minds, along with questions, too.

Just what on earth could this creature possibly be? And why is something as huge as that in the middle of a Japanese forest?

 **[People]** Ddraig spoke, taking them out their thoughts. **[Whatever this creature is, I suggest we get a move. Right now.]**

This caused Matsuda to look at the Boosted Gear confused and Motohama to scratch his head in confusion.

"Wait. Why?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[There is no telling what this creature might do]** Ddraig explained to the boys. **[For all we know, it may pose a great danger to the three of you. More so, if it lets out a cry like this. While it is possible to fight this creature, that only goes for you and not Matsuda and Motohama. They would simply be overwhelmed, even with their newly acquired weapons. And even if you were to fight it all by yourself, we don't know if that's the only one out there. There might be more. That is why fleeing is the best option – until Matsuda's helicopter is recharged that is.]**

Everybody nodded at Ddraig's explanation and subsequent plan with reluctance, sighs and fatigue in their eyes. They had just done some hard work finding lunch, were taking their well-deserved nap and now they had to take a hike? Could they ever get some rest? Now that they thought about it, they never even rested properly from the events at Sakabasu Detention Facility. Maybe just for a few hours, but by no means enough. They were surprised, they weren't getting insomnia or something because they were **really** tired.

Yet… if there really was some kind of dangerous monster out there (and the evidence thus far showed them that this was the case) …

What other choice did they have?

 **[Everybody, get your stuff. Also, make sure to wash yourself in the river, before you go]** Ddraig suggested.

"""Huh?""" all the of them interjected, their confusion replacing their fatigue momentarily.

Ddraig sighed at the prospect of explaining further, but decided to do so anyway. **[If this huge creature has a good sense of smell, like I do, then you can be certain that it can trace your scent. And to be honest, you three do have need for a bath.]**

The three boys just stood there with sour faces because of Ddraig's remarks, but didn't counter his logic.

And so, Issei nodded to Matsuda and Motohama and they all went to the river to wash themselves.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 2:54 pm – Kuoh, Kuoh Academy, hallway_

Classes had just ended for Rias Gremory, the popular second-year student, as she made her way to the student council office. She ignored the looks of various onlookers, as they looked at her, either with fascination or lust. Normally, she enjoyed being at the center of the attention, but today she was focused on more pressing issues.

The issues being the mysterious black helicopter that had appeared at Sakabasu Detention Facility and had flown off eastwards.

Rias had received word a few hours ago that despite Akeno's, Yuuto's and Koneko's efforts, the helicopter had mysteriously vanished. She frowned upon hearing that Akeno had shot down the helicopter out of sadistic pleasure, even though she and the others had only been ordered to follow the helicopter and learn more about it.

Rias had given her queen a scolding, right after her debriefing and told her she would be punished later. The reason why Rias didn't do it now she had yet to find out a fitting punishment for Akeno, reason being her macho-sadistic pleasure at being in pain. She would have to come up with something later.

Right now, she needed to deal with her childhood friend Sona first. She sighed, as she stood in front of the door. She just hoped Sona wouldn't chew her out too severely.

Rias knocked on the door.

"Enter," Sona's voice came from within the room.

Rias opened the door, turned around to close it behind her and saw Sona, seated behind her desk as usual.

Though what was not usual was that Sona was dressed in what seemed to be a pink magic-girl outfit with her hair tied up into twin-tails. Rias couldn't help but be surprised, as she flinched back at the unusual sight before her, which was out of character for her strict, no-nonsense friend. Rias' surprise turned into giggles, as she tried her best to in her giggles with her hand over her mouth.

Sona blushed furiously, as she tried to explain. "It was Serafall! She came out of nowhere and forced me to wear this outfit for an entire day!" she exclaimed.

Rias continued laughing, as she tried her best to calm down.

"Ufufufu… Why don't you… put your school uniform back on… Kaichou…? Ufufu…" Rias laughed at her friend's predicament.

Sona pointed a finger at her school uniform, lying disorderly on the floor covered in ice. "That's why!" Sona answered embarrassed.

Rias laughed even louder upon hearing that, as she made her way to her seat. Sona tried her best not to flip out and waited for her friend to calm down. After a minute or so, Rias did so, trying to catch her breath from laughing so much.

"Wow… that was good… Thanks Sona… Thanks for helping me relax…" Rias stated with a smile.

Ignoring her remark, Sona went straight to business. "Tell me. Any results on the mysterious helicopter?"

Rias' smile turned neutral, as she cleared her throat. "Unfortunately, the helicopter disappeared," Rias simply answered.

"Disappeared how?" Sona asked Rias.

"Disappeared in the sense that it's gone. No trace of it to be found anywhere," Rias answered, as the relaxed mood in the office had turned business-like.

"I don't want you to explain the definition," Sona responded, as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I want you to tell me in detail how it disappeared."

Rias sighed, before explaining what her peerage had told her.

Rias explained how her peerage had followed the mysterious black helicopter until Akeno shot it down. She went on to say that despite everybody's efforts, the helicopter was nowhere to be found. In the end, it was decided that they call off the search and come back.

Sona face-palmed in frustration.

"Akeno engaging with the helicopter and shooting it down? She was supposed to… ugh! How stupid can she be?" Sona commented with an annoyed look on her face.

"Don't worry about it, Sona," Rias tried to reassure Sona. "I'll think of a punishment right after this meeting."

"That's not the point!" Sona shouted, her patience at an end, as she stood up, causing Rias to flinch. "We have a potentially dangerous entity out there of whom we know nothing of or even what their goals are! And now, they've disappeared! What are we going to do, if they cause harm to innocents elsewhere or even us!? What then!?"

"Calm down, Sona!" Rias put her hands up defensively in order to calm her down. "I'm sure that everything will-"

Just then, the two high school students were interrupted by a magic circle that had appeared in the room. Out of the circle came a handsome, bearded man in the flower of his manhood. His hair was blonde and short, yet looked fabulous nonetheless. His clothes were clearly of Germanic or Nordic origin and consisted of armor, boots, a cape and a sword in its scabbard.

The man lifted his hand to greet them. "Greetings, Rias, Princess of the House of Gremory and Sona, Princess of the House of Sitri. I come in peace."

Sona and Rias were flustered at the man's arrival for he was quite the looker. At the same time, they realized he was also a god or demi-god of the Nordic Mythologies and so put their argument aside for the moment to focus on their guest.

"Greetings, as well… whoever you are…" Rias started cautiously. Beings from other mythologies weren't allowed to enter Kuoh because of political agreements between the various mythologies and thus there was reason for her to be wary (more so, if she was the Governor of Kuoh).

Rias winced, as Sona nudged her with an elbow. "Rias, be more polite," Sona rebuked her in a whisper, before facing the newcomer.

"Forgive, my friend. We just wanted to ask for your reason for coming here," Sona said, while Rias rubbed the spot where Sona had jabbed her.

"Forgive my intrusion," the man bowed graciously in an apology. "But I come here with an urgent request in regards to a certain problem involving one of my subjects."

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 3:12 pm – back with Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig_

The three boys were walking through the forest, marching up a taller hill in the forest. Thankfully, the hill wasn't very steep, though it did go up a few hundred meters. The three of them braved up the hill, wearing mostly only their underwear and shoes.

You might be asking why they were walking around practically naked. Well…

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama washed themselves in the river not too long ago and were about to leave. But Ddraig told them to wash the boar furs and their clothes as well. When asked why, the Red Dragon Emperor told them that the mysterious monster would probably smell the scent coming from their clothes and the boar furs to trace them.

The trio begrudgingly did as Ddraig advised them; cleaned and washed their clothes and boar fur, as well as they could, before they headed off. Of course, their clothes were wet after washing them in the river and thus couldn't be worn until they dried off.

Staying in one place was not an option and so the three of them had to carry their clothes with them on their shoulders.

The perverted trio had to admit, walking around with nothing but their underwear on was… rather embarrassing. How could anybody do something like this in the open? No, scratch that. How could models, male and female, do this for a living? Because of that, the three boys actually grew to respect models – something they never thought they would ever do.

Moreover, walking around naked was nothing as sexy like manly action movies and animes would like to depict (especially if you are not confident in your body).

Lastly, it was cold! The wind was blowing and right now, the temperature was in the teens somewhere. Not exactly, the right kind of weather to be out practically naked!

Oh well… at least they had fur coats to cover them, even if they could only do so much.

Well… except for Issei that is.

"Guys," Issei said with a rather grumpy face, carrying everybody's wet clothes on his arms. "Why do you get to wear the fur coats, while I have to walk around with everybody's wet clothes?" he asked with a slight growl of discontent, while giving out shivers.

"Because," Matsuda decided to answer, as he huddled the coat of fur closer to himself with a contented smile because of the warmth it gave. "You have Ddraig, a fire-breathing dragon that gives you superpowers strong enough to kill gods. Someone like you would naturally find a way to keep yourself warm."

"Besides, Issei," Motohama continued with a similar contented smile, as he enjoyed the fuzzy feeling of boar fur. "You're the strongest of us, so naturally you are the one who can endure suffering the most. Something you have proven over and over again…"

Issei just muttered angrily upon hearing that. "How about I make you suffer you little…"

 **[Partner, calm down]** Ddraig soothed an angry Issei. [Complaining won't get you anywhere.]

"Yeah, yeah… says the dragon that won't allow me to use its fire to warm myself!" Issei retorted.

 **[Partner, you can't handle my fire just yet]** Ddraig replied.

"Any why not?" Issei tried to shoot a glare at Ddraig, but couldn't since Ddraig was speaking from within his head.

 **[Partner, my fire is a very strong fire. Once, it starts burning, you cannot quench it unless you have strong magic to counter it, which you obviously don't have]** Ddraig said to Issei.

"What about the bonfire?" Issei questioned Ddraig irritated. "You had no problem lighting it up."

 **[Pff!]** Ddraig snorted. **[That wasn't my unquenchable fire. That was a simple spark. One that almost anybody can do with some physical or magical friction.]**

"Well, why not use that?" Issei questioned again.

 **[Because that only has an effect, if you use it on something like a bonfire. It is not meant for warming the human body. Unless you want to set yourself on fire]** Ddraig answered sardonically.

Issei groaned in frustration, as he rolled his eyes. This was getting nowhere. There was no way, he could warm himself up… unless…

"Hey, Ddraig. How about a warm-up run? That will keep everybody warm. I'll tell the others to-"

 **[Partner, don't]** Ddraig interrupted Issei. **[You go running, and you'll only exhaust yourself. Save it for more immediate emergencies.]**

Issei seethed at having his ideas shot down again. "And what?" Issei argued. "Am I supposed to freeze here to death? Is that it?"

 **[Partner]** Ddraig answered. **[Temperatures like these won't freeze you, let alone kill you. You'll get used to it. You'll see.]**

Issei groaned even louder in frustration, but decided to say nothing. He didn't want to argue anymore.

There was silence for a few seconds, before Ddraig gently spoke up. **[Partner, I'm sorry for coming off to harsh. I… I just wanted you understand that… to be become stronger, you have to endure – including the cold. That is why, there such a thing as cold exposure training. In it, you expose your body to cold temperatures in the open and in the water. It really helps, Partner. And… I really wanted you to start it with you. I'm… I'm sorry, Partner…]**

Issei said nothing, he just walked on, before finally responding. "It's alright. I forgive you." Issei simply said.

Nothing more was said. Ddraig smiled, from within Issei. His host was still so young and many responsibilities were on his shoulders. But in order to grow with it, he had to it step by step – with the right kind of relationship built between both host and supernatural entity.

Only then, could they become strong.

Nobody said a word, as they made their way up the hill. After a ten minutes, they reached the top.

Seeing a nearby rock, the three of them sat down to catch their breath. Issei and Motohama sat down facing in one direction, while Matsuda faced the way that they came from. All three of them were exhausted going up the mountain that they needed to have it.

As Matsuda looked up, he was astounded at what he saw and signaled to the others.

Motohama and Issei turned around. "What is it?" Motohama asked.

Matsuda pointed towards the direction they came from. "Look, guys. See how high up we are," Matsuda said eagerly.

Matsuda and Issei both took a look and widened their eyes a little.

Indeed. They really were high up. They could see numerous tall trees stretching down the hill, becoming smaller and smaller the further the trees were. The path downward seemed to stretch unendingly. It was hard to believe that they had managed to go all the way down there to all the way up here.

Also, when they looked around them, they noticed that there wasn't any way to go higher. Which meant…

"Guys," Issei spoke up, his lips forming a smile. "We're at the top of the mountain!" he announced.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at him with surprise, which turned into enthusiasm and high-fives. What an achievement…

However, Ddraig interrupted their joyous moment, the Boosted Gear appearing on Issei's arm with a flash. **[People, I hate to break this to you. But it's not over yet]** Ddraig told the three jubilating boys.

The happy atmosphere had turned to silence.

"""WHAT!?""" Issei, Matsuda and Motohama shouted at the same time.

"What are you talking about, Ddraig? We're on top of the mountain, aren't we?" Matsuda asked exasperated.

 **[No, that's not it]** Ddraig answered. **[Rather, it is about that creature we heard howl earlier. I have the feeling that any moment it could pose a serious threat to us, should it come our way.]**

"That thing?" Issei asked incredulously. "I mean, come on. Doesn't that thing have better things to worry about, like… catching its next meal or something?"

 **[You may be right. However, we don't know if it's next meal isn't you. It still poses a threat to us and thus caution is what we need the most. Therefore, my point still stands]** Ddraig insisted, as the three boys hung their heads and groaned.

Can they ever take a break? They've walked for like half-an hour up a hill, mind you and now Ddraig had to spoil their well-deserved rest. They haven't had enough sleep either, so when was their insomnia going to kick in?

As they sat there on the rock in frustration, Ddraig continued to speak. **[People, there is another reason for being cautious.]**

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear tiredly. "Oh, yeah? And what's that?" he asked.

 **[It's about the nature of the creature]** Ddraig said.

Issei cocked an eyebrow. "It's nature? You said it was a big boar or something, right? What about it?" Issei asked again.

 **[It's not just that. I believe this creature may be of supernatural origin]** Ddraig revealed.

This caused Issei and the others to jolt up in surprise. Matsuda and Motohama immediately peered Issei over the shoulder to look at the Boosted Gear.

"Supernatural…" Motohama began.

"…Origin!?" Matsuda finished for him.

 **[Yes]** Ddraig confirmed. **[I have reasons to believe it is a supernatural being.]**

"What reasons are those?" Motohama asked.

 **[One, its loud cry. Two, I could sense a fraction of its energy from here. It was faint, but it certainly was there. Which means, that while it may not be anywhere at my level of strength, it still is strong enough to pose a threat to all of you. And if we're not careful, it can kill you with ease]** Ddraig warned them.

Ddraig's words shocked all of them. Another dangerous supernatural creature so soon? Could these supernatural beings just leave them alone for once? If the succubus was a complete nightmare, how much could this creature possibly be? Though, wait a minute…

"Ddraig… why didn't you tell us this before?" Issei asked Ddraig dangerously.

 **[I wasn't completely sure of this myself]** Ddraig answered honestly. **[I needed to weigh out the possibility of it being so, before telling you.]**

Matsuda and Motohama sighed.

Issei sighed, as well, and went deep into thought. Just great… More trouble coming their way and there was nothing they could do except run away. Fighting was a possibility, but as Ddraig said before, it might be a fight they might not come out alive – something that was especially true for Matsuda and Motohama, who didn't have any weapons.

Oh wait, scratch that. They did have weapons. The only problem is that Matsuda's was a size-changing helicopter. But that couldn't be used until 8 pm or so. And right now, it was… 3:29 pm. Pretty neat gift to have a watch.

Anyway, where was he? Oh, yes.

Motohama at least had gloves with the ability to throw dark energy goo at his opponents or something and get them stuck. Pretty cool, actually. Monika even said they could emit dark energy gas or something. The problem, however, is that Motohama hasn't had enough training with his dark energy gloves. While, Motohama most certainly could learn and adapt in a real fight, doing so is dangerous and fraught with risks.

The only who could stand on his own was himself. The Boosted Gear most certainly gave Issei an edge in fighting supernatural enemies, but he only had so much strength. While in theory, the Boosted Gear could boost up his strength infinitely, to do so would be taxing Issei's body to the extreme and force him to reset, draining his power. Dragon Shots were good, but he needed to charge them and if he didn't do it fast enough the enemy would kill him.

'I must get stronger,' Issei contemplated. 'If I don't get stronger, I'll really get killed.'

Issei sighed at the hopelessness of the situation. A helicopter, a pair of gloves and a Sacred Gear whose full potential could not be unlocked. What an underwhelming group of heroes – if you could even call them that – all of them having nothing but items that didn't work the way that they should.

Wait a minute… speaking of items, Issei received a gift, too, didn't he? What did he receive again? Oh yeah… That's right. It was a pair of special glasses.

Yeah, that most certainly didn't count as a weapon. If it could shoot laser beams out of its lenses, that would be cool. But it had no such function, unfortunately… All it could do was…

[…]

That was when Issei widened his eyes in realization.

'Those glasses… could it be?' issei thought, as he suddenly picked up a mental trail to something.

Those glasses enabled Issei to do detective work through scanning. And if that's true, then…

Issei pressed the buttons on his wristwatch, making the glasses appear on his face with a flash.

This surprised Ddraig, Matsuda and Motohama.

 **[Partner. What are you doing?]** Ddraig asked, but Issei didn't answer.

Instead, Issei experimented with the buttons at the temples.

Heat vision, electrical tension vision, toxicity levels, humidity vision…

"Aha… there we go!" Issei exclaimed, as he stood up suddenly.

"Wh-wh-what?" Motohama asked, taken aback.

"Yeah, Issei. What gives?" Matsuda asked this time.

Issei didn't say a word, as he looked around into the distance, before stopping and pointing in a certain direction.

"There! There it is!" Issei pointed out with firmness in his voice.

"There is… what?" Matsuda asked confused, as he frowned at his friend's unusual behavior.

"About a few kilometers away from here. I can see it," Issei announced.

"See what?" Motohama asked insistently.

"It's… Ddraig is right…" Issei merely answered.

The two boys were getting impatient, as they got up and approached Issei from behind.

"What? What is it? Tell us what it is!" Matsuda insisted loudly, getting Issei to glance at them for a moment, before looking back.

"It's a boar… a huge boar… with golden fur…" Issei finally answered.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 3:31 pm – at the riverside_

The mystical golden boar came towards the fords of the river, running through the forest. It knew the place very well, having come here often for a drink. In fact, most animals come here to drink of its waters, including many of boar brethren. They would even go into the river to cool themselves off and have some fun. It certainly did a lot to relax the beasts after a long hard day in the wild.

But today, it wasn't here to do any of these things (although it did take a sip from the river, just in case it wouldn't get anything to drink anytime soon). No, rather it was here to follow the traces of boar blood – blood that was shed because of the cruelty of humans.

The humungous boar sniffed with its snout, as it went along the river. That was when it picked up an unusual scent.

Smoke.

That was when golden boar realized.

They were here. They were definitely here for smoke could never happen in the wild without fire. If there had been a fire, it would have caused a forest fire, which is clearly not the case here or else it would have noticed.

The boar went a bit faster to where the smoke scent came from and sure enough, as soon as it came up to a small mound, there it was.

There were the residues of a campfire, burning not too long ago. Moreover, the smell of burnt flesh also lingered through the air, which made the boar growl. It knew that the boars must have been cooked and then devoured. It knew that from experience, since it witnessed something like this happen too many times.

It checked around the site, trying to find for additional clues. It went around the campsite and down towards the river again.

It was then that it found something. Numerous footprints everywhere. Judging by where the steps could be found, it seemed like they were taking a bath, which made smelling humans very difficult. But there was one way, the boar could find it.

The footprints.

The footprints had to leave the campsite somehow, in some way. It looked carefully on the ground… and there!

It found a trail of footprints. Judging by where they lead the boar to, it had to be up the hill.

The boar grunted and immediately followed the trail of footprints, moving forward slowly, yet menacingly.

Its slow march turned into a run, going faster and faster.

It would find them. The blood of the boar parents had to be avenged!

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 3:39 pm – back on the hill_

"Guys, I think, it's heading our way," Motohama said uneasily, as he looked through Issei's detective glasses.

"What? Give me that!" Matsuda took the detective glasses from Motohama. What he saw made his face turn pale.

Issei also looked worried, his annoyance at not being able to use the glasses outbalanced by worry (after Issei had discovered the big golden boar, Matsuda and Motohama had been taking turns hogging the glasses, leaving Issei with little to no opportunity to do so himself).

"What? What did you say about the boar?" Issei asked in worry.

Matsuda slowly turned towards Issei with his face frozen in shock. "That pig… it's heading this way…" he let out with fear in his voice.

"What? Give me that!" Issei snatched it this time and looked at the incoming boar. It looked like it was fuming out of its nostrils. It looked angry, as it ran towards their position.

"Oh, crap!" Issei cursed, as he turned to Ddraig inside the Boosted Gear in a panic. "Ddraig, that boar-thing or whatever it is, is heading our way! What should we do?"

But Ddraig said nothing.

Issei looked with uncertainty, seeing, as Ddraig didn't reply. He looked at Matsuda and Motohama. They shrugged, since they themselves had no idea on what to do.

Issei turned his face to the Boosted Gear, before he asked again.

"Ddraig?" Issei asked again.

No answer again. Issei was about to ask Ddraig again until the silent dragon finally spoke with a murmur.

 **[Well… Why don't you ask that… fantastic glasses of yours?]** Ddraig muttered quietly.

This caused Issei to frown. What's up with that tone?

"Ddraig? Is something wrong?" Issei asked.

 **[No, nothing is wrong. I'm just saying you should just ask those trusted, high-technologized gadget of yours for advice. I mean it's soooooo good! And I'm just a plain old dragon with lame powers such as doubling your powers and shooting powers]** Ddraig said with obvious sarcasm.

Issei was irked at Ddraig's tone and clenched his teeth.

"Hey! Why are you behaving this way? I'm just asking you for advice. Why are you being so…" Issei drifted off until it dawned on him just what the problem was.

"Ddraig…" Issei began to speak.

 **[…]** Ddraig said nothing.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Issei concluded. Ddraig scoffed at that.

 **[Jealous? Whatever do you mean?]** Ddraig asked mockingly.

"Dude," Matsuda cut in, as he spoke to Ddraig. "The way you have been talking about Issei's glasses makes it rather obvious, so don't play coy."

 **[I'm not being jealous]** Ddraig insisted. **[I'm just saying that Issei here should just ask his overrated glasses for help.]**

'Issei? Not Partner?' Issei noted to himself the way Ddraig called him. 'He's never used my name before. Not once. Something is definitely wrong.'

"Ddraig," Issei spoke up firmly to bring Ddraig to heel. "We can stand here and talk all day about you being jealous, but we've got a situation on hand and I need you to-"

 **[Oh! Now you think I'm your slave now. Just great! Just another cool gadget you can use and dismiss at will!]** Ddraig exclaimed with even more sarcasm.

Issei was getting frustrated now. Ddraig was really getting on his nerves with his behavior.

"And what makes you think that I would even think about behaving this way?" Issei asked, his teeth on edge. Matsuda and Motohama looked on uneasily, as the tiff escalated.

 **[Because ever since you three got these overrated glasses, you've been gushing at just how marvelous they are and how useful they are! Why would you not throw me to the side?]** Ddraig said, his voice showing anger and jealousy.

Issei couldn't take it anymore. Just how little faith did Ddraig even have in him? To be thinking this way… No. That was unacceptable. That was crossing the line.

"No, I don't!" Issei yelled at Ddraig, causing Matsuda and Motohama to wince. "You're my best friend! The dragon that saved my life! The dragon that helped me to live on and grow stronger! How could I ever be thinking of replacing you? Do you think glasses with special functions could ever make me do that? Sure, they are cool and probably will be of immense help, but not enough to replace you! Do you think I'm a kid – one that would easily throw away his old toys for new and better ones? No! I'm nothing like that! Even if the best and fanciest gadget in the world were to land in my hands, I would never ever leave you! And you know why? Because you're my Partner!" Issei finished with the one word that Ddraig had always used for him.

Issei stopped ranting and yelling, as he panted for breath, for it had taken a lot of energy to say all these things at once.

After a few seconds, Issei realized the whole weight of what had just happened, making him widen his eyes in shock and look at his friends awkwardly.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei stoically, yet with understanding. Being a spectator to a fight like this was awkward for them as well, yet with the way Ddraig acted, they could understand Issei's frustration. If they were in Issei's shoes, they would never want to part ways with Ddraig either.

Sure, he could be a troll sometimes, yet he was still one of them. Also, his power was irreplaceable. Who would be stupid enough to give up on someone that can kill gods? Thus, they were in agreement with Issei.

Ddraig on the other hand said nothing and neither did anyone else. Only the sound of birds chirping and the rustling of the trees could be heard. The silence was tense, unnatural – ironic considering the sound of nature all over them.

It was then, that someone finally spoke.

 **[Partner…]** Ddraig said quietly, his sarcastic attitude gone.

"Ddraig?" Issei spoke quietly as well.

 **[I'm sorry, Partner]** Ddraig responded with remorse. **[I should have never doubted you.]**

"I… I shouldn't have shouted you…" Issei apologized with a stutter. "But I meant what I said."

 **[Thank you, Partner. Thank you very much]** Ddraig thanked his host. **[Many of my hosts don't thank me in general, so I'm used to being treated as a mindless tool. Forgive me, please.]**

Issei smiled. "It's OK. I forgive you. I mean you and me – we're a team, right? What kind of team would break apart over something like this, right?"

Matsuda and Motohama breathed out in relief. Thank goodness, the tension has been diffused. Though, right then when everybody was about to enjoy the relieved tension, Matsuda remembered something. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it was something important.

"Hold on for a minute," Matsuda interrupted Issei and Ddraig, getting their attention.

"Hey, Matsuda. Can't you see we're having an intensive moment?" Issei told Matsuda off.

 **[Indeed. Can you not act like trolls for once?]** Ddraig added in.

Matsuda and Motohama took on a deadpan expression at that.

'Who is Ddraig to talk?' Motohama thought to himself with a frown.

'Hypocrite,' Matsuda remarked to himself, remembering all the times Ddraig interrupted their own moments with each other and Issei.

Nevertheless, Matsuda spoke on. "No, seriously. I feel like we're forgetting something. And I think it was important, too, if I remember correctly."

Issei and Motohama looked at their friend with confusion. What on earth was he talking about?

Suddenly, the sound of galloping reached their ears. Everyone looked around. What was that? They only knew, that the sound of galloping quickly grew louder and louder, as it approached them at running speed.

That was when Motohama pointed his finger at something coming from behind Issei.

"ISSEI! BEHIND YOU!" Motohama shouted with panic written all over his face.

Issei turned around and to his shock, saw it… the huge golden boar from before rushing at him with utter fury!

 **[PARTNER! BOOST!]** Ddraig cried.

Issei did so in a heartbeat.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang, doubling his power.

By then, the boar had already reached Issei.

 **[BAM!]** Issei barely managed to brace himself, as he was thrown backwards by its huge tusks.

"UGH!" Issei grunted, his back hitting hard against a tree, knocking the breath out of the teen and leaving him winded.

"ISSEI!" "ISSEI!" **[PARTNER!]** Everybody shouted horrified, as they saw Issei against the tree.

The boar turned, its furious face towards the other two boys, snorting out fumes from its nostrils, as it did so.

It rushed – towards Matsuda. Matsuda ran away fearfully, as he slalomed through the trees, trying to outmaneuver the boar, which was gaining ground on the poor boy. Motohama looked on helplessly, as he stood there frozen.

He felt so helpless. If only he had some kind of wea-

That was when it hit him. "Of course!" Motohama shouted, as he activated his watch. The black gloves with dark energy appeared on his hands, sparkling as if ready to use.

"Let's do this!" Motohama exclaimed, as he pressed his right index finger against his right thumb. A black cube started to form, growing bigger until Motohama ended the pressure between his fingers.

"Good, so far so good," Motohama smirked, glad that he could remember Monika's instructions. He focused himself on Matsuda and the golden boar.

"GYYYAAAHHHHHH!" Matsuda screamed, as the boar came inches of skewering him. He ran as fast as he could, but the boar was simply too fast.

Could this be the end for him? Oh, well at least he lost his virginity, so at least he could die without regrets…

Both the boar and Matsuda were heading straight towards him.

This was it. If he missed, they all would die.

Motohama took in a deep breath and threw.

"HYARGH!" Motohama yelled, as he threw the black cube, throwing it as if in baseball practice. The black cube flew a straight line right past Matsuda and covered the boar's face with a splat.

"BWEEEE!" the boar grunted, as it tried to get rid of the black gooey stuff on its face.

[BAM!]

The golden boar hit a tree, tusks first, causing it to be stuck. It tried to wriggle free, but found it difficult to do.

Matsuda, on the other hand, fell to the ground as soon as the boar hit the tree. He was panting heavily, as he turned around to see what had transpired. He noticed how the boar had black sticky goo on its face and was stuck with its tusks in the tree, but was confused as to how it happened.

"Matsuda! Are you OK?" Motohama ran up to him to help him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Matsuda responded, as he took Motohama's hand to help him up. As soon, as their hands touched, Matsuda felt the texture of Motohama's black gloves. It was then that he widened his eyes in realization at what had happened.

"Dude," Matsuda said to Motohama after being helped up. "Was this your doing?" Matsuda pointed at the struggling boar.

Motohama nodded with a proud smile. "Yeah. That was me," he answered.

Matsuda looked carefully at the gloves, before remarking. "I have to say: I'm impressed at the gift you got. I really am. At first I pitied you because I thought those gloves were lame, but this really changed my mind."

Motohama looked at Matsuda in shock at his unintentionally belittling compliment, before shooting him a glare. "You take that back!"

Matsuda raised his hands up defensively. "Hey, hey! I said I changed my mind! No need to get all angry!" he tried to calm Motohama down.

 **[People, I had to disturb you, but my host here is still here]** Ddraig hinted at Issei's prone body.

Seeing Issei had caused Matsuda and Motohama to forget their squabble and rush to Issei's side.

"Issei! Are you OK?" Matsuda asked, as he grabbed Issei by the shoulders to see if he was responsive.

Unfortunately, Issei wasn't answering. Thankfully, he was still breathing, much to their relief.

"Oh, good. You're alive, you're alive…" Matsuda said to the unconscious Issei.

Before anyone could do anything else, a loud grunt came from the golden boar. Everybody turned to look and could see that the golden boar was still trying to get out. This time, it didn't merely try to pull itself out, but was trying something else to the tree trunk.

They didn't know what it doing, but before anyone could ask, Ddraig spoke up to get Matsuda's and Motohama's focus.

 **[People. We don't have time to sit around and wait. We have to get out of here now. Partner here is unconscious and you two can barely fight this oversized boar. You two did a good job halting the boar in its tracks, though. But something like this can only be held for so long. So go!]** Ddraig ordered them.

Matsuda and Motohama did as Ddraig said promptly. They propped up Issei by his arms and made haste to get away from the boar as far as possible.

They went down the hilltop as fast as possible, making sure to increase their distance while they can.

While everybody made their way down, Matsuda had to think of what had transpired.

'That was dangerous,' Matsuda thought. 'But there's no doubt about it. That boar was a supernatural creature. Ddraig was absolutely right. And that means we're not safe here. We've got to get out of here. As long as Issei is unconscious, our chances to survive the day are slim.'

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 4:01 pm – back on the hill_

The golden boar had been suing all its strength in its legs to push its tusks upwards. An illogical strategy to free oneself one had to admit, but for the powerful boar, it made perfect sense.

Slowly, but surely, the tree trunk began to creak and fissure, the cracks moving upwards with every single ounce of effort.

Finally, the tree split in half with a loud crack, both sides falling to the sides with a loud thud.

The golden boar was breathing heavily.

It was angry. Angry at being humiliated by these humans.

And they were going to pay.

Though, it had to admit. It seems like it had underestimated the three humans. It needed to be careful from now on or else they might get the better of it.

And it had just the idea on how to defeat these humans.

"BWWWWWEEEEEEEE!" the boar howled in the air. After a few minutes, a herd of boars came running up the hill and gathered around the golden one, as if summoned by it.

None of them made a sound, yet all of them seemed to understand the situation.

But more so, all of them had one single desire, their gleaming eyes and loud grunts and squeals making this very clear.

To kill the three outsiders at all costs.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 4:04 pm – at the foot of the hill_

Everybody tried their best to drag Issei out of here, as they reached the bottom of the hill. That was when they heard a horrible sound, coming from the hill behind them.

Motohama looked back in a panic and then at Matsuda.

"We've got to get out here! I've got a bad feeling about this," Motohama told his friend.

Matsuda nodded. A feeling of dread filled Matsuda's mind, as he realized a horrible truth. A truth that he and his friends had heard before and yet only truly understood it now…

'To kill or be killed. That is the law of the wild.'

* * *

 **There. That should do it.**

 **It seems like Issei and his friends are in trouble. What will they do?**

 **Whatever the case, they will be dealing with a lot of angry pigs in the forest just out there to kill them.**

 **Will Issei regain consciousness before worse can happen? Stay tuned…**

 **In the meantime, I managed to find a timeline for the High School DxD canon events.**

 **Thank you, 'The Ultimate Pawn' for posting it on the High School DxD wiki page! Courtesy belongs to him.**

 **And here it is:**

 **April- Volume 1. Issei gets reincarnated into a devil. Everything else in Volume 1 happens.**

 **End of April/Beginning of May- Volume 2**

 **June/Beginning of July- Volume 3/Volume 4**

 **Mid July-Mid August- Volume 5**

 **September- Volume 6/Volume 7**

 **October- Volume 9/Volume 10**

 **November- Volume 11-Volume 16**

 **December- Volume 17-18**

 **January/early February- Volume 19-21**

 **Late February-April- Volume 22**

 **June- Volume 23**

 **DX4- Somewhere after 23**

 **July- Volume 24**

 **Now, I finally have a timeline and solid dates to put my story's events on. Since we are in September, there will be events happening before the events in April happen.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	27. Chapter 19 - Gullinbursti Arc, Part 3

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **Sorry, for taking this long. I was ill, so I couldn't do much last weekend, but now it's done.**

 **So, last time Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had eaten a good hearty meal and were taking an afternoon nap.**

 **However, an angry, but mysterious golden boar appeared. As a result, Issei fought it, but is knocked out.**

 **Our heroes manage to escape, but the huge boar has other tricks up its sleeves.**

 **What will happen? Will our heroes survive?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 19 – Gullinbursti Arc, Part 3

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 4:43 pm – somewhere in the forest_

Issei's eyes fluttered for a few seconds, before they slowly opened up.

The first thing that Issei saw was that he was lying on the ground. Matsuda and Motohama were looking at him anxiously until they saw his eyes open. Both of them sighed in relief.

"Issei! Thank goodness, man. You're awake," Matsuda said, relieved that Issei was alright.

"Yeah. After what that pig did to you, we thought you were a goner. But we weren't sure, since you had survived worse. I'm glad we were wrong," Motohama continued with a smile on his face.

"Wh-what… What…?" Issei spoke groggily, as he propped himself up against a nearby tree, "…Guys… What happened…? Where are we…?"

"You don't remember?" Motohama asked, lifting his eyebrows.

"Well, I do remember the part when that huge golden pig hit me, right while I was boosting my power, but I don't remember anything else," Issei answered honestly.

Matsuda and Motohama nodded in understanding.

"Well… that's because you were knocked out," Motohama continued, as his face then took on a look of pride. "Thankfully, I managed to halt that pig in its tracks with my… um… glue gloves!"

"Glue gloves? Really?" Matsuda questioned his friend's usage of terms.

"Yeah," Motohama answered Matsuda, before turning his attention back to Issei. "Thanks to the glue gloves, I hit that pig's face with my black glue cubes. It ended up getting its tusks stuck in a tree. You should have seen it. If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't be here to hear the tale," Motohama's face beamed with pride.

Issei was impressed. His first day with his gloves and he could already take down a supernatural creature like that. That really was something worthy of praise – more so, if his actions saved everybody's lives.

"Thanks, man," Issei told Motohama gratefully. "Never thought you'd be the heroic type."

"Pfff… heroic…" Matsuda scoffed. "He used me as pig-bait for goodness' sakes! I was running around, while he was standing there biding his sweet time until the last moment. What's so heroic about that?"

Motohama frowned upon Matsuda's snarky response.

Issei, on the other hand, dropped a sweat. 'Oh, so that's how it is… Well, he still saved our lives didn't he?' Issei reasoned.

"Hey! I still saved your lives, didn't I?" Motohama retorted angrily, unwittingly repeating Issei's thoughts.

Matsuda scoffed again. "Maybe. But you could have done something sooner, right?"

"That coming from the guy who said my gloves were lame, only to change his mind. I bet you're just being jealous because I have a cool gift and you don't," Motohama sneered, making Matsuda livid.

"A helicopter is ten times better you…" Matsuda wanted to throw an insult at Motohama. But Issei got up and stood between them.

"Guys! Now is not the time to fight!" Issei said, holding his arms out at the both of them. He then looked at Motohama. "And? What happened next?" Issei asked.

Motohama looked confused for a moment, but then remembered that he was supposed to recount what had happened while Issei was unconscious. Motohama cleared his throat, before resuming.

"Well, after that we picked you up and high-tailed out of there. While making our escape, we could hear that golden freak of nature cry out loudly. It scared the living crap out of us, so we ran as fast as we could. I just hope I'll never have to see that thing again…"

Issei felt unsettled at what Motohama just said. Even though he was glad that they were out of danger, it was only a matter of time before that golden pig got out of its predicament.

Then all bets would be off.

Seeing, Issei's face reflecting in silent worry, Matsuda continued.

"After that, we walked… ran… for about half an hour just to get as far away from that XXL-sized porker until we decided to take a break here until you woke up again."

"Yeah, we needed to," Motohama said, as he stretched his arms. "Honestly, it was a miracle that we managed to carry you for this long because… boy… You were quite heavy…"

Issei twitched upon hearing this remark. "Uhuh… I see…" Issei simply said, as he tried his best not to retort. He had a lot to say to his Motohama, but right now, there were more pressing concerns to worry about.

Issei summoned the Boosted Gear and the red gauntlet appeared in a flash.

"Ddraig? Are you there?" Issei said to Ddraig in the Boosted Gear.

 **[I'm here, Partner. I'm glad you're all right]** Ddraig responded.

Issei nodded. "Good. Now that we're all together now… What do we do now?"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei, as if he were an idiot.

"What do we do? Run of course!" Motohama retorted. "All I could do was slow down that golden piece of bacon and barely did it in a nick of time!"

"Yeah!" Matsuda added. "I mean, even you barely managed to survive its first attack, so what makes you so sure you can beat it!?"

Unfortunately, Matsuda and Motohama were right. Right now, they weren't in a good position. They were stuck in a forest weak and tired with Matsuda and Motohama barely able to survive a direct fight with a supernatural being. Issei, on the other hand, could step up to the challenge, but even then, it was a risky move, given that this golden boar may have some other abilities up its sleeve. Perhaps, it could shoot out solar beams, fire, or something like that. One couldn't just walk up to something like that and just expect that strength alone can do the trick, even if he had the Boosted Gear.

Logically, that meant getting out of this place was the best option, but as far as Issei was concerned…

Issei looked at his watch. 4:48 pm.

No good.

The helicopter would need about four hours to be functional, so using it right now was out of the question. What are they going to do now?

That was when Ddraig spoke up. **[Partner. I know, you're having a hard time figuring out what to do. But right now, I say that we keep on moving. It's the only sensible thing we can do right now, given the circumstances… even if I don't like it.]**

Issei paid attention to the latter part of what Ddraig said and decided to ask him something. "Tell me something… What would you have liked to do instead?" Issei asked curiously.

 **[If the circumstances were different, I would fight this oversized boar and show him what it means to mess around with me – Ddraig the Red Dragon Emperor. For no oversized pig can get away with humiliating me. Supernatural or not, nobody does!]** Ddraig said with pride and confidence.

Issei just smiled and shook his head. That was just **so** like him…

"Uh… Issei?" Matsuda spoke up, getting Issei's and Ddraig's attention. "If you don't mind, Issei… Could you use your glasses again so we can keep track on that pig? That would be great."

Issei nodded and activated his watch. The glasses appeared on the bridge of his nose and Issei started working on finding the right settings through the buttons on the temples. Heat vision, electrical tension vision, toxicity level vision, humidity vision… whoops skipped it! But what's this? Camera mode? Photo mode? WiFi-detection vision!? Seriously, there were such cool functions on this thing? Issei really wanted to try out some of these functions, but then shook his head, knowing that he needed to get his head back in the game.

Anyway, back to heat vision... There we go!

Issei looked around him, but frowned, as he discovered one big problem. Issei could see a lot of heat level detections… just not of the desired target. Instead, all Issei got were the heat detections of the trees in the forest.

Issei couldn't help but murmur at that, something everybody else noticed.

"Issei? What's wrong?" Motohama asked.

Issei turned around with a face filled with annoyance. "It's the trees. I can't see the pig because the trees are blocking my way."

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei with surprise. Trees blocking Issei's vision? That was going to be troublesome… How were they going to deal with that? It was after a few seconds that Matsuda had an idea. A simplistic one, but still one that made sense logically.

"Guys, how about we climb a tree and use the glasses from there," Matsuda suggested.

Motohama and Issei looked at him in confusion, before taking an uncertain expression. Nobody said a word for a while until Issei just looked at Motohama and shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh… Why not?" Issei reasoned. "It's not like I've got anything better to suggest."

"Yeah… I think so, too…" Motohama said, before taking a look around him. "So… which tree should we climb?"

Issei and Matsuda looked around them. Motohama pointed at a tree just near them. "Hey, this one looks easy to climb. I mean, look! Its branches are low enough to climb!" he said.

Matsuda frowned upon seeing the tree in question. "No way! That's way too small. I mean, look around you. There are trees much taller than this one. If we were to climb up that three, we'll never be able to see far."

Motohama glared at his friend. "OK. Do you have any better ideas, smarty-pants?"

Matsuda gave Motohama an angry glance, but decided to focus his attention on finding a taller tree. He laid his eyes on one a little farther away from them. Seeing it, he pointed towards it.

"This one, guys! It's much taller than Motohama's tree and is easily one of the tallest trees around this place!" Matsuda said eagerly.

Issei and Motohama looked at the tree in question and found it. When they saw it, they frowned.

"Matsuda, that tree doesn't seem to have any lower branches to climb on," Issei told Matsuda.

Matsuda looked and widened his eyes upon seeing that the lowest branch stood at about 3 meters above the ground. Matsuda dropped a nervous sweat drop upon seeing his idea also going down the drain.

 **[People. As much as your attempts to find the right tree are appreciated, I have an even better suggestion]** Ddraig said to the three of them.

"You do?" Issei asked. What could Ddraig have in mind?

 **[Partner. That hill there in the distance]** Ddraig pointed out to Issei.

Issei squinted his eyes. Hill? What hill?

 **[Over there. Straight up ahead]** Ddraig pointed out.

Issei looked in a certain direction and saw a small hill in the distance. This caused Issei to be confused.

"Why that hill? Surely, the trees are much taller than any hill, right?" Issei asked Ddraig skeptically.

Ddraig sighed, but explained nonetheless. **[Do you see those trees on the hill? Those are the highest points in the vicinity. That is where you get the best view.]**

"""Huh?""" all three of them interjected confused. Ddraig explained further.

 **[On average, the big trees you see around here are about the same height. There might be some trees bigger than others might. However, not by much. A hill on the other hand gives trees a much higher elevation. Hence, if we were to presume that the trees on the hill are average height, then those trees must be the highest points in the area. Do you understand?]** Ddraig asked for clarification.

"""Ohhh…""" Issei, Matsuda and Motohama said in unison. Now they understood it. Nevertheless, there still was one problem.

"But Ddraig," Issei began in protest. "It's so far away. Do we really have to go this far? I mean, we have to climb a tree later, so don't you think…?"

 **[Partner! You are made of much sterner stuff than anything else on earth! Another walk for a few minutes won't kill you. Besides, you've faced harder ordeals, so this one should be a piece of cake! Now, move it!]** Ddraig demanded.

Now, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were the ones sighing.

"""Yes, sir…""" they all said visibly deflated, as they made their way towards the hill. Trudging as they went.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:04 pm – at the small hill_

""Hrgh!"" Matsuda and Motohama grunted, as they pushed Issei up the tree by his back.

"Good! I'm up! I'm up! You can let me go!" Issei called, as he clung his arms around the branch and wrapped his legs around it, too.

Matsuda and Motohama let go of Issei and were panting heavily. Boy, was he heavy… and they had to carry him twice now! Just how often were they going to do this?

Moreover, a thought hit both Matsuda and Motohama at the same time. If either one of them were to get up the tree branch right after Issei… how would the last guy get up?

Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other. They chuckled nervously, as they tried to get the other one to boost them up.

"Matsuda," Motohama smiled with feigned politeness. "You've always been athletic and strong. I on the other hand am not as strong as you are. So… please take responsibility as the stronger one and push me up…"

Matsuda chuckled back, as he waived dismissively. "Oh, please… You flatter me," he said, also feigning politeness with a smile. "Besides, I'm quite tired from walking, so… right now I'm not so strong. You on the other hand, have plenty of strength, since you slacked off from carrying Issei on the way, while I had to bear the whole weight of him…"

Motohama's right eye twitched upon hearing it, but maintained the smiling façade of politeness. "Well… that only goes to show that what I said was correct. I am too weak to do anything, so please boost me up. After all, I did save your life from that golden piece of bacon with my glue gloves earlier, so consider this as means to call it even."

Matsuda's left eye twitched as well, but he too continued his polite smiling façade. "Well, that goes to show that I was actually the one who was correct and that you are the stronger one for the moment. So, why don't you go ahead? Or were you perhaps lying… weakling?"

Nobody said a word after Matsuda's insult, with both of them smiling and looking at each other in harmonious peace… but not for long.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU (Censored)!?" Motohama screamed, after he had tackled Matsuda to the ground.

"YOU HEARD ME, (Censored)!" Matsuda roared back, as he and Motohama wrestled on the ground.

The two of them were trying so to beat each other up that Issei (who was now halfway up the tree) had to hold his climbing for a while and look down at his raging buddies.

"HEY, GUYS! KEEP IT DOWN! FOCUS ON GETTING YOUR BUTTS UP HERE!" Issei called out from above to no avail, since Matsuda and Motohama were too busy fighting and cursing each other.

Issei sighed to himself. "I wonder what all that was about?" Issei asked himself, which Ddraig decided to answer.

 **[I'm not sure. But whatever the case, if they don't want to climb up this tree, then you would have to do for now. As long as somebody is up there keeping watch that's all that matters]** Ddraig said to Issei.

Issei simply nodded, as he resumed his climb, while ignoring the shouts from below.

While Issei climbed up higher, Ddraig spoke up once again. **[Partner, you know what would be better than climbing a tree?]**

"What?" Issei asked, while focused on moving up the next branch carefully.

 **[Flying on the wings of a dragon]** Ddraig replied, causing Issei to lose focus for a second.

"WHOA!" Issei yelped, as his foot missed the branch by a few centimeters. Issei would have fallen, had he not been hanging on to the branch right above the one he tried to set foot on.

 **[Partner! Be careful!]** Ddraig warned him.

Issei managed to find his desired footing below him, and then proceeded to recover from his shock.

"Sorry… You surprised me there just now… with what you said…" Issei said, as he calmed down.

After a few seconds of relaxation, Issei began to speak.

"You said something about flying on dragon wings, right?" Issei asked curiously.

 **[That's right, Partner]** Ddraig affirmed.

"Then… does that mean that just like the dragonizing of my nose, ears and eyes, I can dragonize my back or something?" Issei asked with interest.

 **[That is correct]** Ddraig affirmed again. **[However…]**

Issei raised his eyebrows at the 'However'. "However what?" Issei wanted to know.

 **[However, dragonizing is not something you do lightly. As I have mentioned it before, dragonizing your body is a long and painful process]** Ddraig reminded Issei.

"Yeah, I think you said something like that back at the facility," Issei nodded. "And?"

 **[And… there's a good reason for that]** Ddraig continued. **[Dragons are strong and powerful creatures. Transforming your body into that of a dragon's requires a lot of effort. The pain can be reduced though…]**

"And how can I do that?" Issei asked on.

 **[It is easy. By becoming stronger. By training your body, so it can tolerate the pain. Right now, however, you are too weak. Which is why, I recommend not dragonizing anything for the moment until we have rectified that]** Ddraig answered.

"Oh…" Issei's mood deflated. He was hoping to do get some wings and soar into the skies above, instead of climbing trees.

 **[I'm sorry, Partner, but doing something like that now is too dangerous. Any hasty decision and it can kill you]** Ddraig said.

"Yeah, but it didn't hurt when we dragonized my eyes, ears and organs…" Issei tried to argue.

 **[Those body parts don't require a lot of effort to transform, since they don't have that much body mass. An arm or a leg has muscles, tendons, fat, etc... and thus needs more effort to transform]** Ddraig explained.

"I see…" Issei let out disappointed.

Nobody said a word after that and so, Issei went up higher into the crown of the tree. Once he reached

What Issei noticed was just how windy it was up on that tree. The wind blew through his hair, making Issei shut his eyes for a while, before getting used to it. Upon opening his eyes, Issei looked out into the distance and goodness gracious… the sight was lovely!

Issei could see the whole expanse of the forest, bathed in glorious sunshine. Perhaps it wasn't as grand as it was on top of hill, but it was a nice view nonetheless. Issei breathed in the fresh forest air… and breathed out. Man! That felt good!

 **[Partner. I hate to disturb you, but shouldn't you be focused on looking out for that golden boar?]** Ddraig reminded Issei.

Issei blinked for a bit, before enjoying the sight once more.

"Yeah, I know," Issei replied. "But I can't help it."

Issei took in not only the air, but the sunrays as well. It felt cool, yet the sunrays had a warming effect on his skin. Overall, it felt pleasant.

"You know Ddraig, I was wondering," Issei said to Ddraig.

 **[Wondering about what?]** Ddraig asked.

"Well… about flying. How does it feel like to fly?" Issei asked Ddraig.

Ddraig was taken by surprise by Issei's question.

So, he was still thinking about getting his wings? Typical, though perhaps natural. Every human has always had some desire to fly for thousands of years. Yet, despite all the attempts and progress they have made, humankind has never truly been able to fly. Sure, they could lift off the ground using vehicles, like Matsuda's helicopter. But that did not truly count for him as flying, thus his argument stands.

Ddraig sunk into thought on how to answer that question. Finding the right answer wasn't an easy one. Sure, he could talk about the feeling of freedom, the wind blowing in the wind, the desire to do whatever you wanted… but somehow… that didn't feel adequate. Ddraig felt like, he needed to tell Issei more. Show him the downsides and responsibilities of flying. But how?

Issei looked at Ddraig with expectation. He really was curious. Finally, Ddraig came up with an answer.

 **[Well, flying doesn't come easy at first. You have to learn how to use your wings and lift up from the ground. You run, you jump, you fall, you hit the ground… nothing pleasant at first. Learning to lift off the ground takes a lot of practice, but after a while, you can succeed. After you learn how to lift off the ground, the challenge is not over yet. For then you learn how to stay up there for as long as possible. It might take you ten seconds, twenty, thirty, a minute or even ten minutes, but eventually you, too, can succeed. But after that, even after you have mastered the ability to stay above the ground for longer periods of time, you are still not done. You need to learn how to fight against wind and weather, obstacles like trees and rocks and other flying creatures like birds, insects and dragons. All these things will try to bring you to the ground, but you must never let them hinder you. Only, after overcoming all these challenges… only then… can you soar above the clouds, braving through the skies with no one to stop you. That… is when you truly are flying. That is when you truly can feel the delight and joy of flying that can never be put into words. I could try to describe it to you as well as I can, but even then, it would do the word 'flying' no justice. The only way, your question can be answered… is if you reach that stage on your own.]**

Issei was stunned at what Ddraig had said. He… never thought about it this way. Who knew Ddraig could say such tough, but beautifully motivational words? Issei smiled, as he looked at the Boosted Gear. He truly was glad to have met Ddraig.

"Thanks, Ddraig. I won't let you down. I'll definitely get my wings. You'll see," Issei told the Red Dragon Emperor.

 **[You're welcome, Partner. I'd be disappointed if you didn't]** Ddraig replied.

Issei nodded. Indeed, to get to that goal, he knew that he had to work hard. But in the meantime, there were other things to worry about.

He turned his attention to his wristwatch. He still had a mission to do after all.

Issei pressed the two buttons necessary to activate the special glasses and with a flash, they appeared on his face (he had dismissed his glasses, before climbing the tree out of concern that they might fall off). Issei went straight to work, looking for the heat vision function and then found it.

He looked all around him, especially towards the hill where they had last encountered their mysterious enemy. Issei squinted his eyes. He couldn't see anything from here, despite the heat detection. That was when he remembered something.

If he remembered correctly, glasses like these had a variety of functions, so… an enhanced vision function had to be among them, too (or at least some means to magnify or minimize objects in the distance).

Issei fumbled with the buttons on the temples of his glasses… not the right functions. He tried everything, but to no avail. He would have almost given up, but then he felt something at the right hinge. Another button! Issei pressed it and… aha! That magnified his sight! Issei felt another button on the other side... and that made minimized his sight!

Good, good… Issei was starting to get the hang of it… Now, all he had to do was look…

What Issei saw was most noteworthy.

In the distance near the tall hill where they had escaped from, he saw herds of boars, moving down the hill, around it and away from it, as if on patrol. Each herd numbered up to twenty, perhaps even fifty boars each – young and old. Even though they were going separate ways, it seemed like it had previously been a great gathering of some kind, numbering in the hundreds.

"Wow…" Issei voiced his admiration at the sight. "Ddraig, can you believe that this many boars could be gathered in one place at the same time?"

Ddraig on the other hand was wary. **[Yes… right at the place where we encountered the golden boar, too…]** he said cautiously.

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear confused.

 **[Partner]** Ddraig explained. **[Gatherings like these don't happen naturally. I feel like this is the golden boar's doing.]**

"That thing again? You really think so?" Issei asked Ddraig concerned. Issei looked out in the distance once again. "No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to see it anywhere."

 **[Think about it]** Ddraig said to Issei. **[It's too coincidental. A huge gathering of boars on top of a hill, all of which just so happen to descend right after you three left the area? There's no reason for boars to go up on such a hill in such great numbers unless something brought them here. And if that is true, then it is obvious as to who is the culprit. And seeing that the big boar is supernatural, it wouldn't be strange if it had the ability to make boars like them do its every bidding. Besides, it could be staying put on the hill until its minions alert it about your whereabouts. It wouldn't be illogical.]**

After hearing Ddraig's explanation, Issei connected the dots. Oh friggin' damn it! Now, there's a whole army of pigs coming after them! What's more, it would only be a matter of time until they reached this place. They needed to get out of here – and fast!

"Well, no time to lose," Issei said, as he tried to climb down the tree as fast as he could. "If we don't hurry, then our hides are going to be- WAAAH!" Issei cried out, as his foot slipped on the branch he was on, causing him to fall.

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig cried out, but to no avail.

"WAAAHHH! OUCH! AGH! WAAAH! OW! YAAAHHHHH!" Issei cried in pain and helplessness, as he alternated between free-falling and being buffeted by the branches. He flailed his arms helplessly, as he could do nothing but fall towards the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matsuda and Motohama were still duking it out just below.

"I'm the one going up, you…" Matsuda scowled, as he had Motohama in a chokehold.

"No way… I'm not letting you…" Motohama struggled, as he tried to free himself from Matsuda's chokehold. "Wait until I get out and then I'll…"

"WAAAAHHH!" It was then that Issei's screams could be heard by the two brawlers, both of which stopped to look upward… which was a big mistake.

"OOF!" "AARGH!" Motohama and Matsuda yelped, as Issei fell on them like an albatross.

All three of them were groaning in pain, as they hit the ground, none of them saying a word until Matsuda tried to glare at Issei.

"Dude… What's the big deal? Ooh..." Matsuda spoke through the pain.

"Yeah… ouch… what are you an elephant? Couldn't you just have… climbed your way down, instead of jumping down? Oww…" Motohama complained as well.

Issei recovered from the fall and after a few seconds got up and massaged himself.

"I wasn't trying to jump, I fell," Issei explained, as he rubbed his sore back. "But that's not important now. We need to get out of here. Now."

"Huh? Why? Did you see the gold pig? Is it coming towards us?" Motohama asked urgently, forgetting his previous squabbles with him and Matsuda.

"In a way…" Issei answered vaguely. Matsuda and Motohama gestured him to tell more, which led Issei to tell them what he saw.

Upon hearing Issei's explanations (and Ddraig's comments about it) both Matsuda and Motohama were clearly shocked.

"I think it's pretty clear what we need to do…" Motohama said, as he turned his face towards Matsuda with fear.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious… In fact, that's pretty much what we've been doing this whole time…" Matsuda said, reciprocating Motohama's actions, both nodding as they thought about the same thing.

""RUN AWAY! THE PIGS ARE TRYING TO KILL US! WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"" they screamed, as they ran for their lives.

Issei, although not as frightened as they were, didn't like the idea of being left behind. He quickly followed after them.

"WAIT, GUYS! WAIT FOR ME!" Issei cried out after them, as he gave chase.

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:39 pm – somewhere else in the forest_

"Haa… haa… haa… I think… we're… good… haa… haa…" Matsuda panted, as he stumbled exhausted through the forest, his legs feeling like lead.

"Yeah… haa… haa… we should be… far away… haa… haa… from those… boars now… haa… haa…" Motohama panted, as he too felt exhausted from running.

Not too far away, they could hear Issei calling out for them. "Guys… haa… haa… please wait… *cough* *cough* Please… wait up…" Issei called out, panting and coughing, as he stumbled towards their direction.

The trio had been running for nearly half an hour now, almost non-stop. And all that because of the sheer frenzy and fear that Matsuda and Motohama had upon hearing the terrifying news about potentially murderous forest omnivores with tusks (numbering in the hundreds no less).

In Issei's case it was more a matter of catching up than running from fear. But boy! Fear truly was a powerful motivator to keep them going.

 **[Hmm… perhaps I should consider this when putting my host through my new training regimen]** Ddraig reasoned, something Issei partially overheard by the way.

"Huh? What… did you say…?" Issei asked, his mind and body exhausted, thus making it hard for him to comprehend anything for the moment.

 **[Umm… nothing, Partner…]** Ddraig covered up his loudly spoken thoughts hastily. **[For now, I suggest that you take a break. You're going to need your strength.]**

Issei nodded, deciding to put it off for now until he reached Matsuda and Motohama. Fortunately, the two of them had just taken a rest near a riverbank and were on their knees, drinking and splashing water over their faces. By the time, Issei got to the riverbank to do the same, Matsuda and Motohama were already lying down on their backs in exhaustion.

After a minute or so, Issei had joined them and was chilling out with his back on the ground. He was dirty and sweaty, so Issei didn't care much about hygiene right now (Issei and the others had put their clothes on again just before he climbed that tree not too long ago). Seeing Matsuda and Motohama, however, he couldn't help but envy them for their fur coats on which they were lying upon.

Nevertheless, Issei decided to… just let it be and relax…

He looked into the sky. Issei noticed that the sun was starting to set. He checked the time on his watch…

5:43 pm. It was already evening.

Sigh… this really was a tiresome day, but Issei has had enough for today. He and his buddies were exhausted from fighting and running. Couldn't they just take a break?

Yes, if only… but the only way they could do that, was if they could wait for at least two hours or so… and then get Matsuda's helicopter up and running…

But what should they do in the meantime? Keep running? They could only run so far and for so long, so that wasn't really much of an option.

No, rather it's best to hide. Wait, till the storm blows away so to speak, then summon the helicopter and then fly away.

The only question is: Where should they hide?

Issei looked around. Obviously, the trees are a good place to hide. In fact, the sooner they get up there the better.

Issei sat up and was just about to suggest Matsuda and Motohama about his plan, when the sound of rustling caught everyone's attention. Matsuda and Motohama lifted their heads and looked, along with Issei, towards the source of the sound, in the thickets just a few meters away…

They saw two pairs of eyes staring at them with hostility from the bushes. Their possessors came out from there and revealed themselves to be two adult male boars. Both boars moved closer to the three boys slowly, ready to rush at them, if they did anything.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama slowly stood up, keeping their eyes wearily and uneasily on the beasts before their eyes. It wasn't hard to see that the boars were hostile to them, which is why they were cautious to begin with, ready for a fight. That is why Issei summoned the Boosted Gear on his arm and Motohama summoned his glue gloves.

Matsuda, on the other hand, backed away because of his lack of weaponry. He nonverbally asked Motohama and Issei on what he should do by looking at them uneasily. Picking up at what he was trying to say, Issei answered him.

"Keep your distance," Issei whispered to Matsuda. "Make sure to be on the lookout for any pigs coming from around us, OK?"

Matsuda nodded. While Matsuda backed away, Issei looked Motohama in the eyes.

"You ready?" Issei asked seriously.

"Yeah," Motohama replied likewise, his hands having formed dark cubes, ready to be thrown.

Despite taking the initiative, the two boars didn't attack right away. No, rather they circled around them slowly so that they ended up on the other side each.

Not quite what anybody had expected, but not the worst situation of them all either.

Because of that, Matsuda, who had at first tried to back away, ended up going back to where Issei and Motohama were.

Issei and Motohama were facing each other back to back, staring down their respective opponents with Matsuda watching their backs.

To put it in simple terms, it was going to be a one-on-one fight with Matsuda being protected in the center.

Matsuda looked around him nervously. He just hoped the pigs wouldn't come after him and that his buddies could take care of them.

Ddraig, on the other hand, was completely confident.

 **[Partner. Listen to me. I've got an idea…]** Ddraig said, confiding with Issei on what to do, something Issei understood and told Motohama.

"Motohama. Don't attack first. Let them make their move and then attack. Got it?" Issei said to Motohama.

"Got it," Motohama replied, as he readied himself.

Issei also prepared himself, preparing himself for battle. He looked his opponent straight in the eyes and bared his teeth, as if he were provoking or threatening the boar (something some animals do, by the way).

The boar Issei faced grunted, crouched… and attacked! It charged at him, ready to ram Issei with its tusks. The other boar did the same and ran towards Motohama.

Matsuda almost felt the temptation to bolt and almost would have, had he not maintained some self-control. Yet, he still felt panicky because of the uncertainty of the fight.

How would this turn out?

Well, for one… Issei was prepared…

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear powered up, giving Issei double the strength. The boar impacted… and hit Issei's gauntlet! He got pushed back a bit, but he stood his ground.

It also went well with Motohama.

"Take this!" Motohama yelled, as he tossed a dark energy glue cube at his rushing opponent… and it hit!

The boar ran, yet had a hard time seeing where it was going because of the black glue covering practically half its body, including its face.

Seeing the boar still running full speed ahead, Motohama turned around for a split second and tackled Matsuda, shouting: "MOVE, MAN!"

Matsuda and Motohama both fell to the ground out of the boar's path, which happened to lead towards Issei's vulnerable back!

"ISSEI, BEHIND YOU!" Matsuda shouted, warning him of the incoming danger.

Issei was still wrestling with his boar when looked over his shoulder and widened his eyes at the rushing boar coming from behind him.

 **[Partner, move it!]** Ddraig called out to him to get out of the way.

What happened then, happened at a split decision. How Issei came up with the idea to do it, he himself didn't know.

 **[Boost!]**

But what Issei did was this. He used his boosted strength to pick up the boar he had his hands on by its tusks, turned around his own axis and swung it… impact!

[WHAM!]

Issei's boar hit the other one like a baseball bat, causing it to fly and land right at the edge of the water. It didn't move, though Matsuda could see that it was breathing, which meant it was unconscious.

The boar that Issei swung flew a great distance away and landed into the river with a big splash. Issei and the others saw the boar splashing and struggling to get out of the water, which it did.

 **[Reset!]** The Boosted Gear reset itself, returning Issei's base strength to its original state.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama observed the boar going unto the dry ground on the other side of the river and shaking the water off its fur. The boys were expecting the boar to give up and walk away… but they were wrong…

The boar turned to look at them and furrow its back in hostility and then… it squealed loudly.

The three boys looked at what was happening in confusion and wariness. Just what was that pig up to? Whatever it was doing it wasn't good…

 **[People, I have a bad feeling about this…]** Ddraig spoke up.

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear and nodded, while Matsuda and Motohama gulped.

"RUN!" Issei yelled, as he and the others broke into a sprint, despite their fatigue. But they knew they had to because the nature of the boar's cry. In this regard they were all of the same mind.

It was calling for help. And if the other boars heard they would come after them in no time.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama ran along the banks of the river, passing by rocks, trees and thickets just hoping they wouldn't encounter any boars. They didn't care in what direction they ran, they just… ran, just to get away from the rampaging boars as far as possible.

After at least fifteen seconds of running, Matsuda (being a former school sports star back in junior high school) was ahead of the others. Issei was second, just trailing behind him and last of all… was Motohama, who was trying his best not to fall behind.

"Please… no more… hah… hah…" Motohama panted in agony at the perpetual running. Never in his life had he run or walked or done anything similar to the amount of exercise he was doing today. If this went on, he might become a professional sprinter (if he survived that is).

Then suddenly, the heard the sounds of galloping coming from behind them. It was the galloping of many hooves and with them, the ominous sounds of…

"SQUEEAAAAL!" "GRUNT!" "OOOINK!" "BWEEE!" "SNORT!"

...coming from behind them as well.

All of them looked behind them and were terrified. There had to be like… twenty of them, coming after them and most certainly they didn't have friendly looks on their faces. In fact, they screamed bloody murder!

"They're here! Hah… hah…" Matsuda shouted to the others in despair. "What should we do?"

Issei and Ddraig tried to look for an answer, but Motohama then snapped his fingers.

"Wait! I know!" Motohama called out, he formed black cubes in his hands… and threw them at their pursuers.

Both cubes hit two of them square in the face, causing them to stumble and fall, causing a few others behind them to fall over each other as well.

Yet, there still were more than a dozen left, still giving chase and getting closer to Motohama by the second.

"Motohama, throw some more!" Issei yelled.

"Just what I was going to do!" Motohama yelled back, as he threw cube after cube.

He threw the cubes at the closest boars just a meter behind him, causing them to stumble and fall. Motohama had to admit, being at the rear wasn't a place he wanted to be. But if that meant seeing his pursuers to stumble and fall like that, well… totally worth it!

"Motohama!" Matsuda screamed, as if in despair.

Motohama looked at the front and saw why that was the case. There were boars charging right behind Matsuda from the side. It was moving closer to Matsuda by the second.

Motohama readied to throw the next cube, but then hesitated. He wasn't sure, whether throwing it forward wouldn't cause the cube to hit his own face instead.

Issei was getting worried. Motohama was hesitating, he could see that. There was only so much he could do with his glue gloves. If only, Issei could do something similar… He could use Dragon Shot, but there were three things holding him back.

One, it would be overkill and might end up obliterating Matsuda. Two, even if that was not so, Issei could not use it very often and decided to use it at a more ideal situation. Three, he had the feeling that with the Boosted Gear and its endless potential, he could be doing something else with it than fire Dragon Shots. Only what…?

That was when something hit Issei. He had an idea…

"Motohama! Let me take care of this!" Issei called out, as he readied the Boosted Gear.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang, as Issei's power doubled.

"You worry about those boars from behind!" Issei told Motohama, as he suddenly picked up speed. Motohama was surprised by this, but decided to ask Issei about this later.

"Understood!" Motohama replied, as he took aim at the next boar in pursuit from behind.

While Motohama was dealing with the hostile pursuers coming from behind, Issei smirked.

"I knew it! I can even double my running speed…" Issei said to himself triumphantly, something Ddraig complimented him on.

 **[Indeed, Partner. That, too, is part of my Boost ability. Now go!]**

Issei nodded and picked up speed. He caught up to the boar and got between it and Matsuda in the nick of time and backhanded the first. The boar squealed and tumbled to the ground, causing it to hit another incoming boar.

"Man, thanks!" Matsuda sighed in relief.

"Don't mention it!" Issei saluted him in return.

That was when two more boars approached from the side and were trying to ram Issei.

Issei didn't remain idle, though. He waited for one of them to come closer and then… he jump-kicked it in its side! The boar flew to the side, hitting its companion.

Issei ended up almost tripping, as he landed back on the ground, trying to resume running.

In the meantime, he could see Motohama was thinning out the ranks of the pursuing boars with his glue gloves. Right now, there were five… but that would go down to zero soon.

He smirked. He could do this. He knew he could do so.

As Motohama took out his third opponent, Issei could see that he was exhausted and probably couldn't run much longer. Thus, he ran up to him, which surprised Motohama once again.

"Motohama, catch up to Matsuda. I'll do the rest!" Issei told Motohama.

"OK… thanks man…" Motohama breathed out, as he ran ahead. Issei, on the other hand, decided to focus on the remaining enemies.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear boosted again, giving Issei even more speed and strength.

He deliberately fell behind and took a hold of one of the boars and punched it in the face and knocking it out.

He did the same to the next, which tried to ram Issei with its tusks, but to no avail. Issei was too fast and dodged it by moving behind them. Then, its tusks were grabbed and Issei swung it into the river with a splash.

Another boar came for the kill, but Issei approached it first, before it could ready an attack. He seized its head, lifted it up with the Boosted Gear arm and punched its throat, causing it to collapse to the ground with a choking sound.

Right behind him, another boar reacted quickly by jumping over its fallen comrade. It hoped to skewer Issei from behind, but Issei moved to the left, causing the boar to miss him. It tried to tackle the brunette, but Issei used his superior strength and shoved it into the river with a mighty push, causing a huge splash.

That splash blinded him for a moment, which another boar tried to use to its advantage. It tried to run him down with its tusks, which Issei didn't notice because he trying to regain his vision from that huge splash of water that had hit his face.

 **[Partner! Behind you!]** Ddraig called out.

Issei looked behind him and saw the last boar trying to kill him with feral rage. Moreover, it was just about one and a half feet from skewering Issei, so moving backwards in any way was dangerous.

Issei decided to run faster, getting ahead of the boar, but the boar also picked up its speed and was closing in on him again. He tried to slalom through the trees, but even then, it could keep up with Issei.

"Persistent one, I have to give it that…" Issei muttered to himself, as he clicked his tongue. And that was what got Issei so worried. If he couldn't escape forward or backward or through evasion maneuvers, then how?

As the boar pursued Issei, its tusks closed the distance between him by a few centimeters! If Issei didn't do anything he could get seriously injured!

That was when it hit him. There was a tactic. It was a risky one, but he had to try it. There was no other choice!

Issei dropped to the ground… giving way right under its tusks by a margin and caused the boar to painfully trip over its back, sending it flying with a somersault… so that it landed on its front legs awkwardly and fall to the ground.

Issei groaned, as he rubbed his back in pain. Man, that hurt!

Nevertheless, he slowly stood up again and looked at his defeated opponent. He could see that it was grunting and writhing in pain on the ground. Upon closer look, Issei could see that the reason for it was because its legs were broken. It could no longer use its front legs properly.

Issei winced upon realization. That wasn't a pretty sight. He looked away and was ready to bolt, but… something caused Issei to remain.

He looked upon the boar and tried to decide on what to do with it.

Issei decided on something. He went up to its prone body, standing right his fallen enemy. He held out his arm… but then decided against pulling through.

He looked away and decided to run, intending to catch up on the others, while leaving the injured boar behind. The others still needed him, after all.

 **[It's still hard, isn't it?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

Issei said nothing, as he continued running. Only a nod came from him, as he ran without stopping, running alongside a river that has seen many deaths today. Alas, such was nature, for in the wild you had to be strong and ruthless to survive and Issei… although exposed to the wild… still lacks the latter…

* * *

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:48 pm – in a clearing not too far away_

"Guys?" Issei came up to a grassy clearing with the river nearby and his friends there, too.

By then, they had finally collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, their bodies having finally taken their toll.

Issei sighed in relief, as he came up to them.

The two boys just looked up into Issei's face with Motohama speaking to him.

"Just… hah… hope… hah… that… no pigs… come… hah…" Motohama panted heavily, speaking rather incoherently. Nevertheless, Issei understood what he wanted to say.

"M-me… hah… too…" Matsuda agreed. For even a former school sports star like him, running for his life on a repeated basis was clearly too much.

Issei nodded, as he smiled in relief, but then he heard…

"BWWEEEEE!" "BWWEEEE!" "BWWWEEEEE!"

…the grunting of more boars… in even greater numbers than before, coming up to them from behind them!

"Oh, for the love of…" Issei groaned, as he readied himself. This was not good!

It seems like fighting them head-on won't be a good idea. There were too many of them! And also, he had to protect his friends who were too weak to do anything. Heck, they couldn't even react to their surroundings. That's how exhausted they were.

 **[Partner. I think you know what you must do]** Ddraig said.

"Yes… I do…" Issei answered, as he got ready to boost.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang, as he charged for a Dragon Shot.

The boars grunted and cried out, as they all rushed at Issei & co.

"I don't want to do this…" Issei mumbled to himself, as he charged.

 **[Boost!]**

"…but I have to…" Issei continued, as he clenched his teeth. He hated killing, the feeling of blood spattering his clothes, the look of lifelessness haunting his mind, the traumas assaulting him… he just hated it!

"BWEEE!" "GRUNT!" "OINK!" the boars grunted in unison, as they got closer.

"…right now, my friends…" Issei looked around him with determination, holding out his arm, ready to fire.

 **[Boost!]**

"""BWWWWWWEEEEEEEE!""" the boars were but a relatively short distance from the perverted quartet.

"…need me!" Issei cried out, as he fired right into the pathway…

" **BWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

A loud squeal suddenly hit Issei's ears. Issei widened his eyes, as a streak of gold jumped to the forefront and took the Dragon Shot head on! Wait, that golden blur… that was…

[BOOM!] A blast and a shockwave shook the air and dust flew up everywhere.

Issei covered his eyes and braced himself, as did Matsuda and Motohama, but the latter two were thrown away by the blast. All the boars that had taken part in the charge were blown away as well.

The dust slowly settled and one could see the results of the explosion. All around the place were boars lying all over the place. Some were unconscious and others were injured, but all in all, no deaths. Matsuda and Motohama were thrown back a good distance and were now coughing and wheezing. They brushed off the dust of their bodies and clothes, as they got up.

"Issei…?" Motohama called out to his friend, who he couldn't see because of the dust flying around. He was getting worried. Was he alright?

It wasn't long, before that question would be answered. For there was Issei, standing firm using the Boosted Gear gauntlet as a shield to protect his face. He, too, was covered in dirt, but thankfully with no injuries.

"Oh, thank goodness…" Motohama sighed out in relief. He was about to approach him, but Matsuda held him back with an outstretched arm.

"Wait! Don't move…" Matsuda said not looking back, yet moving back at the same time.

Had Motohama been able to see his face, he could have seen that Matsuda's face was not one of relief, but of seriousness. And why? The reason for that being that not only did he see Issei, but the silhouette of a large boar staring at Issei from the receding cloud of dust.

"Oh, crap…" Motohama cursed, as he stepped back as well.

As the dust finally cleared, he could see the huge golden boar from before, covered in some kind of shield, which disappeared after a little while.

Issei didn't move, yet his body trembled, not because of exhaustion, but because of fear.

He was not expecting that golden porker to find them so soon. This was bad. With it here and all those boars here as well. Their chances of survival… was actually nil!

However, then the golden boar did something unexpected. It looked at the boars behind him that were still unconscious. Issei managed to catch a glimpse of one of the boar's eyes gleaming red. The boars that were unconscious woke up and together with the others walked away.

"Wait. What was that?" Issei queried, as he watched the boars leave.

 **[It used its powers to give back strength to the boars, Partner. No doubt about it. This boar is definitely of supernatural origin]** Ddraig answered.

"I see… But then why won't it order those pigs to gang up on me then?" Issei asked again, as the boars disappeared into the forest.

 **[I'm sure it's because of the Dragon Shot. It knows that you can obliterate them with ease, which also means that this boar is sentient. Be careful, Partner. This opponent won't be like the other boars we encountered. Be on your guard, Partner]** Ddraig warned Issei.

Issei gulped, as he tried to stop himself from shaking. "Understood…"

He readied himself for battle. The golden boar, as if trying to give Issei a sporting chance, waited for Issei to make prepare himself.

 **[Reset!]** All of Issei's strength left him, after the reset. He used this opportunity to relax, took a deep breath.

"What's Issei doing?" Motohama asked Matsuda, as he observed the spectacle.

"I'm not sure. Warm-ups, I guess…? But whatever it is… I have the feeling that what we're seeing right now…" Matsuda said calmly, as he gazed at the duel before him with equal calmness.

Issei started boosting again.

 **[Boost!]** Issei's strength doubled, as power flowed through him for the big fight.

"…is like the boss fight of this level…"

* * *

 **There. Another chapter done.**

 **I apologize once again for the delay. I was ill and I really felt bad. I later found out that a lot of people were suffering colds, as the weather got warmer. I wonder if that had anything to with it.**

 **Anyway, about the chapter… in addition to more survival adventure, the I wanted to talk about two things: The subject of flying and the fight scenes.**

 **I have to say, I never thought I would be able to write such words. I'm kind of impressed at what I can think of. And before you ask, yes, it will play a role in the future. I'm not sure how big, just that it will definitely play a role.**

 **As for the fight scenes... I also wanted to improve on writing fight scenes and so far, I guess I did well. Granted, there's always the issues regarding the technicalities of a fight scene, but thankfully as Issei (and Matsuda and Motohama, too) develops in fighting, so will I in in writing skills.**

 **As for this arc, I plan on throwing in two more chapters, before our heroes finally reach their destination in Nerima. Again, no Ranma ½, perhaps some references but no Ranma ½.**

 **And thank you TranslatorPS for correcting me about the location Sophia University. My bad, I kind of saw the name and image on my Google search results for some reason and I acknowledge my mistake. Though, speaking of which, this mistake will be referenced in my story soon once Issei, Matsuda and Motohama reach Tokyo.**

 **In the meantime, I'd like to ask for your opinions.**

 **Are there any special places in Tokyo you would like featured in this story? I'd love to hear them.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	28. Chapter 20 - Gullinbursti Arc, Part 4

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy with quite a few things lately, like writing applications to companies. Reason being that my training as an office administration clerk is coming to an end.**

 **But I'll still make sure to keep the waiting time under less than a month, so don't worry about irregular chapter updates.**

 **Anyway, here we come to the "boss fight" of this arc.**

 **On this corner, we have Issei Hyoudou: age 16 (I decided to change his age to fit canon consistencies, thanks Dslayer19!), brown hair, brown eyes, 53 kg, 173 cm and the wielder of the Boosted Gear and Monika's special glasses**

 **On the other corner, we have the Golden Boar: origin is supernatural, name is unknown, golden fur, approximately 310 kg, 4,03 m long, super strong physically, ability to mobilize ordinary boars, other abilities unknown**

 **Who will win?**

 **Will it be our hero (or heroes, should Matsuda and Motohama step into the fight)?**

 **Or will it be the Golden Boar?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 20 – Gullinbursti Arc, Part 4

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 5:48 pm – in a clearing in the forest_

Issei and the golden boar were staring each other down. Issei was boosting his power, growing in strength. The golden boar on the other hand, remained standing where it was, its fur glistening in the evening autumn sun.

Both of them were so focused on the other that they ignored everything else around them, except each other.

Matsuda and Motohama were looking on anxiously, as Issei boosted his power.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear went, doubling Issei's power once more.

As they waited, Motohama couldn't help but whisper to Matsuda.

"Dude, how come nobody is making a move?" Motohama asked quietly.

"I don't know," Matsuda whispered back. "I guess they're just waiting to see what the other one does… and then strike…," he guessed.

Motohama gulped. The situation was tense. Anything could happen in a fight like this.

Issei may the Boosted Gear and all, but the golden boar was a mystery factor. They didn't know much about it – where it came from or what its powers are. Come to think about it, they didn't even know why it was attacking them. Was it because they were intruders? Or perhaps…

Matsuda and Motohama both glanced each other and looked at the each other's boar furs, covered around their waist.

…Could that have been the reason?

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang again, breaking their lines of thought. It was then that Issei bent his knees slightly, as if taking a fighting stance.

The golden boar, seemingly recognizing Issei's actions, crouched as though it were also taking a fighting stance.

None of them uttered a sound until Issei gulped. He was truly nervous, but he wasn't allowed to show it. For Ddraig had taught him in one of their training sessions never to show fear in a fight. As a result, he gestured the boar to come with his hand.

"Ready when you are," Issei said to the golden boar, even though he wasn't sure whether it could understand human speech.

But the boar seemingly could… and thus rushed at Issei!

Issei braced himself. A full on ramming attack (tusks first!) – That is dangerous! However, just because it was humongous, didn't mean it was invincible.

Issei put forward his Boosted Gear arm and readied to catch the boar's tusks. The boar lowered its head, ready to strike Issei from below… and then…

 **[Boost!]** Issei doubled his strength again.

Issei caught them! The tusks barely managed to pierce his stomach, as Issei gritted his teeth, while being pushed back with his feet dragging on the ground. Thankfully, for him the dragging became slower, as he got a better grip on the ground and the boar's tusks until both Issei and the golden boar came to a standstill.

"H-h-he…" Matsuda said, as he looked on with widened eyes.

"He stopped it! Issei stopped it!" Motohama said with a delighted face.

Indeed. Right now, the golden boar and Issei were struggling to gain dominance. Even though, the boar was bigger and stronger than Issei, it clearly had problems overwhelming Issei's strength.

Moreover, it's quite obvious to everyone (including the golden boar) that Issei could increase his power every ten seconds, it was clear that Issei would win. So, that means this match should be Issei's, right?

Unfortunately, for him, the boar had other weapons in its arsenal.

[Flash!] The boar's fur suddenly, flashed brightly illuminating the forest clearing.

"Kuh!" Issei closed his eyes, as the light overwhelmed his senses, giving his opponent an opening.

"BWWEEEE!" the boar grunted and moved its head upwards to run Issei through from below with its tusks.

"Hrrgh!" Issei came within an inch of being pierced, as he increased his grip on the horns for dear life. However, because the boar was trying to attack Issei from below, Issei got lifted up from below and tossed into the air.

Matsuda and Motohama recovered from the blinding flash to see Issei flying into the air.

""ISSEI!"" the two of them cried out in horror.

"Ugh!" Issei landed on the ground with a thud, moaning in pain, whilst trying to get up.

Matsuda and Motohama sighed in relief. Thank goodness! He was OK! However, a look at the golden boar, turned their relief back into horror again, for the boar was trying to rush at Issei once again.

""ISSEI, GET UP!"" the two of them cried out again. Motohama was getting ready to throw a black glue cube at the fiend and would have done so, had Issei not suddenly gotten up and jumped out of the way.

The boar missed by a few inches, as it whizzed past Issei, who was on his feet again.

"Man, that was close!" Issei said to himself in relief, as he knocked the dust of his pants.

 **[Yes, Partner. But the fight is not over yet]** Ddraig warned him.

Issei turned to look at his opponent, which had stopped in its tracks and had just turned around to face Issei for its next attack.

The boar readied itself and went at Issei once again with its tusks. As with the last time, it tried to attack Issei by striking him from below.

 **[Partner! Watch out!]** Ddraig called out.

Issei readied himself just like the first time and took the attack head-on, catching the boar's tusks once again. Issei grunted, as he was pushed back. But once again, he managed to stand his ground, as he slid to a halt.

Both the boar and Issei found themselves in the same struggle for dominance once more…

[Flash!] …with the same scenario as before happening again, too.

"Kuh! The light… WAAAH!?" Issei shouted, as the boar's flashing fur disrupted his concentration, causing the golden boar to toss him away…

"AGAIN!?" "ISSEI, NO!" Matsuda and Motohama shouted, as they saw their friend hit a tree trunk at the edge of the clearing. Issei groaned in pain again, suffering the blunt pain of being buffered repeatedly. Issei was actually getting tired… really tired…

 **[Reset!]** The Boosted Gear's powers reset themselves to base level, too.

"BWWEEE!" the huge golden boar squealed.

At first, Matsuda and Motohama expected the boar to make a straight dash towards Issei. But to their surprise, the big boar kept its distance. It seemed to walk around him, as if an invisible circle kept it from entering the vicinity of their downed friend. They were unsure of what it was doing or why it was doing it, yet continued staring nonetheless.

That was when the huge golden boar stopped… and then it readied himself for a charge.

At that moment, Motohama realized something. As if on cue, he remembered the last time they encountered the boar. He remembered the time it tried to skewer Matsuda, only to end up missing and getting itself stuck in a tree trunk instead. Which meant… It was preparing to launch an attack from the side, so that it wouldn't get itself stuck in a tree trunk!

So, it learned from the last fight… clever… But right now… that didn't matter. What mattered was Issei, something that was clear to both him and Matsuda.

"Get up, Issei! You can't die yet!" Motohama called out.

"Issei, come one! Get up!" Matsuda joined in.

The boar, being unconcerned of the cries of the duo nearby, started running, tusks ready to strike Issei.

Matsuda and Motohama looked on in despair, but their moment of despair turned into hope, when Issei stirred and raised his body up. He did so, not only because of the shouting of his friends or the knowledge of impending danger, but also because of Ddraig's urging.

 **[It's getting ready to attack! Partner, get up!]** Ddraig urged his host.

Issei looked up to see the boar get to him with a two seconds distance. He panicked and looked around for a solution. There was no way he could take it head on, considering his powers were back to normal. And he didn't have any other tools to fight it either, so something else needed to be done… Suddenly, he had an idea. He moved around the tree, he had landed against and… avoided the attack! The boar missed Issei once again, as it made sure not to hit another tree-trunk.

Issei smirked. He was right. It worked.

The boar halted and turned around furiously. The huge golden boar glared Issei with fury in its eyes and readied for another charge. It went for another attack, rushing directly at Issei… and missed again, courtesy of Issei moving around the tree again.

As the boar stopped, as it got into the clearing, Issei chuckled.

This was kind of fun. If he kept doing this, the boar might tire out and leave itself vulnerable.

 **[Partner, I would not recommend this strategy]** Ddraig said, ever aware at what Issei was thinking.

"Why not?" Issei asked, looking at Ddraig in confusion. What was wrong with it? It was working wasn't it?

 **[Creatures like these are quite strong. Using a mere tree as a shield won't be of much use** ] Ddraig explained.

Issei looked at the Boosted Gear in shock, before turning to look at the golden boar, who was ready to charge at Issei once more. Issei looked with some concern, but still had his doubts.

"But that golden porker avoided the tree trunks just now. Oh! And it even got stuck in a tree trunk when Matsuda and Motohama were fighting it, so why would it be different this time?" Issei questioned Ddraig.

 **[Because the tree it got caught in earlier was way bigger and thicker than this tree right here. Meaning tha-]** Ddraig explained, but a cry cut them off.

"BWWWWEEEEEE!" the boar cried out, as it rushed straight at Issei, who was still behind the tree. Whoa, by the speed it was running, it looks like it wants to…

 **[Get out of here! Move!]** Ddraig told Issei. Issei ran away as far from the tree as possible, as if that was the threat trying to kill him and not the golden boar on the other side.

[BOOM!] With a loud sound the tree was starting to move… more like it was toppling and falling down on Issei!

"OH, CRA-!" Issei shouted, as he closed his eyes and shielded himself.

[BOOM!] The crown of the tree with all its boughs and autumn foliage landed on top of Issei.

Matsuda and Motohama had just gotten closer to where the scene of the carnage was taking place. Their eyes widened when they saw that one of the trees had just collapsed and fallen on their friend.

""ISSEI!"" the two of them yelled out once again.

As Matsuda and Motohama looked on uncertain whether he was alive or not, Issei (unbeknownst to them) crawled out of the mass of wood and foliage, rubbing and checking for sores on his body and brushing off the leaves and dirt.

"Oh, man… ouch… that was close…" Issei groaned, as he rubbed his back. "I really wish you could have told me this advice sooner…"

 **[Partner, it's commonsense for a creature this big and strong to be able to take down a tree]** Ddraig chided him.

Issei took on a sour look. "Yeah, but anyway… how do we beat this thing? Every time I try to take down that gigantic boar, it flashed me and I get taken out. What am I supposed to do?"

 **[I'm not sure… Close your eyes and fight?]** Ddraig tried to help.

Issei scoffed. "Who do you think I am? A martial artist that can fight while blind?" he remarked sarcastically, before focusing on the problem at hand.

"If only there was a way to fight this thing, while seeing and not getting blind at the same time… I mean, if I had sunglasses that might help, but I don't have any… All I have are…" Issei pondered, before he had an idea.

"All I have are… are…" Issei repeated, as his eyes then brightened.

 **[Partner?]** Ddraig asked his host questioningly.

But Issei didn't answer him. Instead, he activated his special glasses.

Once, they manifested on the bridge of his nose, Issei immediately went through the settings.

He had seen some of the functions in passing, but he was certain there were a lot more that he hadn't discovered. And if he was correct, then…

"Bingo!" Issei exclaimed.

 **[What? What is it, Partner]** Ddraig asked Issei, being taken aback by his reaction somewhat.

Issei smirked with a goofy grin. "Ddraig, I think I've got an idea," he said with glee. After saying this, the lenses of his glasses darkened.

Just then, the golden boar charged at Issei, thinking that it could finally finish Issei off.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear sounded, starting Issei's power growth anew.

The boar comes closer… Issei holds his arms out, ready to catch it by the tusks… and… Issei seizes the boar by the tusks!

Unfortunately, Issei was being pushed back by his lack of power. The boar grunts, as it tries to run Issei through. Yet Issei grips the tusks tightly. That was when the boar made a turn and decided to run Issei against a tree.

Issei looks behind in fright. He hoped the next boost would come soon.

 **[Boost!]** Thank goodness, his prayers were answered!

Issei's shoes were grinding against the ground, as the boar's pushing slowed down. They were still moving towards the tree, but it was becoming quite clear to the boar that Issei wasn't going to be run through. That's why the boar let its fur brighten up and blind Issei, as it has before.

As the light flashed, the boar was expecting Issei to let go or flinch and get himself killed, but to its surprise… Issei's grip remained.

"Heh, not this time," Issei smirked cockily, as the next [Boost!] sounded, causing Issei to grip the boar's tusks even stronger.

The golden boar widened its eyes in shock, as it found itself being lifted off the ground. The boar tried to struggle, shaking its body and legs as well as it could. It even tried to flash Issei multiple times, but to no avail.

Matsuda and Motohama couldn't help but be astonished, while shielding their eyes from the repeated flashes.

"Hey, how come Issei isn't affected by this anymore?" Matsuda asked.

"I think it may have something to do with those glasses of his. I saw him tampering around with them and smiling to himself. I think that Issei has managed to find a filter that manages to give him immunity or something," Motohama answered.

"What kind of filter do you think it might be?" Matsuda asked again.

"Beats me! All I know that the tide has turned. And that's all that matters," Motohama managed to grin ear to ear, despite the flashing lights.

Matsuda did the same, before trying to face the fight before him and shouting: "Go get him, Issei!"

 **[Boost!]** Meanwhile, Issei's power doubled again.

Issei lifted up the boar above his head, as if performing in a circus act.

The boar struggled helplessly, as Issei… slammed the boar unto the ground!

As it lay writhing on its side, Issei fell upon it and started punching its head repeatedly.

The boar tried to get on its four feet, but Issei wrapped his left arm around its neck to prevent it from breaking free. With his other arm, Issei punches the boar in its face repeatedly. The huge beast flailed and thrashed, but couldn't shake Issei off. There were times, where Issei almost got thrown away, but he still managed to keep his grip.

To Issei, it felt like he was in a match between a rodeo and a wrestling competition of some sort – only this "match" was a fight to the death. Issei knew this and thus kept his head in the fight.

Slowly but surely, the boar was getting tired. No matter what it did, it couldn't get Issei off and the repeated punches to the face weren't helping to say the least. It was weakening, something Issei, Ddraig, Matsuda and Motohama noticed.

 **[Good, Partner. Keep it up! You've almost got it!] Ddraig spoke to Issei with enthusiasm, but upon** seeing Issei's face, he could see something was wrong. He could see Issei was straining and doing his best to subdue the boar, but his face betrayed a bit of hesitation – a desire to stop, like he didn't want to kill the boar.

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig spoke up to Issei. **[Do not even think of going easy on that pig. Go all out! Do not show it any mercy!]**

"B-but… Ddraig…" Issei grunted, as he argued. "If I go all out… hrgh… it's going to die…"

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig said to Issei. **[I though I told you. There is no shame of fighting and killing in self-defense or protecting your family and friends! It's either kill or be killed in the wild. So, keep your mind steady, before this pig takes advantage of you and finishes you.]**

"But Ddraig…" Issei tried to argue, but Ddraig cut him off.

 **[No buts! This is how fights are going to be from now on. Besides, count on the fact that this porker hasn't even used all its powers yet]** Ddraig answered back.

"What… do you mean?" Issei asked Ddraig.

Before Ddraig could answer him, the boar did something unexpected.

"BWWWWEEEEEEEEEE!" it squealed loudly.

Issei immediately grimaced in pain. The cry of the supernatural beast rang painfully in his ears. The same went for Matsuda and Motohama, who unlike Issei had managed to close their ears.

Before Issei could recover from the shock, the boar like before tossed Issei high into the air by suddenly standing on its hind legs.

"WHAAAA! OOF!" Issei yelled and grunted upon impacting on the grassy ground. It always hurt, no matter how often it happened to him.

"ISSEI!" Motohama yelled his friend's name once again.

"Motohama, I think we need to…" Matsuda was about to suggest that Motohama use his glue gloves to save Issei.

But then, came the sound of hooves and grunting, rushing to the clearing at running speed.

Issei, who was trying to get up, could also hear the sounds and also their cause – namely a horde of wild boars rushing towards his position. Before, Issei could do any more, the heavy steps of his huge opponent neared his prone body. Issei widened his eyes in shock, as he laid upon his golden opponent.

His shock turned to more pain, as it stepped upon him his stomach with its hooves. Issei cried out, as he felt the weight of the boar upon him. It was heavy. Very heavy. He was honestly surprised he had not been crushed to death, but reasoned that the extra strength given to him by the Boosted Gear might have saved him.

He did not have much time to think about it though, since the golden boar was about to ram Issei with its tusks – this time targeting his helpless opponent through his throat. Thankfully, Issei had his arms free and could prevent the golden boar from piercing his throat.

 **[Partner, fight it off! Boost your powers]** Ddraig urged Issei.

"I'm trying… I'm trying…" Issei gritted his teeth in response.

As Issei and the golden boar struggled in another battle of strength and will, Issei couldn't help but look towards the newly arrived boars (or returning ones, Issei could not tell which one it was).

To his surprise the horde of boars didn't seem to be interested in him. Instead, they halted in a semi-circle formation right before the golden boar, as if awaiting orders.

The boar glanced sideways at his brethren and grunted and squealed.

"GRUNT! GRUNT! BWWEEEEEEE!" the huge boar said in a language only the boars could understand and then gestured with its head towards Matsuda and Motohama, who both looked fearful, yet uncertain at what was happening before them.

But then the boars squealed and grunted loudly, making Matsuda and Motohama very suspicious at what was being said.

"I have a bad feeling about this, man…" Matsuda said fearfully to Motohama.

"Me too…" Motohama replied, as both he and Matsuda slowly backed away… and then ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

"BWWWEEEEEE! BWWEEEE! BWWWWEEEEE! BWWWEEEEE! BWWEEEEEEEE!" the sounds of angry squeals sounded even louder, as the horde of boars rushed in pursuit.

"MATSUDA! MOTOHAMA!" Issei cried out, as he tried to help them, but couldn't because of the huge golden boar still bearing down on him. The boar didn't give up on trying to kill Issei, while Issei tried his best to get it off him.

Despite the dire situation he was in, he couldn't help but move his gaze at his fleeing friends and the pursuing horde. He could see Matsuda's and Motohama's desperate faces, as tried to keep ahead of their pursuers. He could also see them making a turn to the right, as more boars came from the forest to chase them.

Motohama had his gloves out by now and throwing everything he got at their pursuers. While it did manage to entrap a few of them and cause them to stumble, the sheer number of boars coming after them were far too many. What's even worse was that the boars were coming closer! It would only be about twenty seconds until Matsuda and Motohama were run over and mauled by the horde!

"Damn it!" Issei cursed, as he tried to increase his power.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear sounded. Issei's strength doubled, but the boar did not waver. That was especially true, given that he wasn't exactly in a position to push it off him.

"DAMN IT!" Issei cursed even louder, as the boars were getting closer to skewering his friends.

 **[Partner!]** Ddraig called out to Issei again.

"DAMN IT!" Issei shouted as loud as he could, as he tried everything to get the overbearing boar off him. But the huge boar was relentless in its attack and wouldn't let up in its attempts to run Issei through with its tusks.

It was then that everything turned into slow-motion for Issei. A second now felt like a minute and a minute now felt like an hour. Exactly what slow-motion was.

"Ddraig! What do I do?" Issei asked Ddraig, but Ddraig didn't answer him.

"Ddraig, I need you. Matsuda and Motohama are going to die! So, do something!" Issei implored for Ddraig to tell him what to do, just say something at least. However, Ddraig did not answer.

Issei looked at his friends at the distance, running for their lives. Right now, they were running in slow-motion, as were the boars right behind them. Issei could see that it would only be a matter of seconds until they caught up with them. Motohama was trying his best to keep them at bay with his glue gloves, even if it was obvious that they were going to die anyway.

As for the golden boar, it remained as it is, bearing down on Issei in its attempt to overpower him. Issei wasn't too worried about his own situation, yet also knew that he couldn't keep up with this forever.

Issei sighed despondently and was contemplating in silence.

"Is this the end?" Issei asked himself, as all hope seemed to die. "All our lives… everything we did… dreamed… fought for… was it all just for it to end here…?"

Issei chuckled.

"What a joke. After all that has happened, all this build-up, all the insinuations from Ddraig that I was to the Red Dragon Emperor… Some great Sekiryuutei, I am," Issei chuckled in self-mockery. "I mean, I can't even beat this piece of pork... though then again, that's only because I hesitated to kill this thing…"

Issei's chuckling stopped upon that thought.

"…But that means… that all of this is my fault… If I hadn't hesitated, I… We wouldn't be in this situation… But killing… even killing to protect… it's too hard… I just can't do it… I… wish the Boosted Gear never came to me… I'm just… a failure…" Issei said bitterly, his hope all but disappeared.

Issei looks up to the sky.

"It's over… whoever you are… or how many of you there are… God… angels… or whoever… It's over… Please… just end it… Take me to my parents…" Issei mumbled to himself.

Just as he was about to let go of the boar's tusks and let the boar end his life, he saw the birds up in the deep blue sky. It was then that Issei was reminded of Ddraig's words.

 _Flashback_

 **[Well, flying doesn't come easy at first. You have to learn how to use your wings and lift up from the ground. You run, you jump, you fall, you hit the ground… nothing pleasant at first. Learning to lift off the ground takes a lot of practice, but after a while, you can succeed. After you learn how to lift off the ground, the challenge is not over yet. For then you learn how to stay up there for as long as possible. It might take you ten seconds, twenty, thirty, a minute or even ten minutes, but eventually you, too, can succeed. But after that, even after you have mastered the ability to stay above the ground for longer periods of time, you are still not done. You need to learn how to fight against wind and weather, obstacles like trees and rocks and other flying creatures like birds, insects and dragons. All these things will try to bring you to the ground, but you must never let them hinder you. Only, after overcoming all these challenges… only then… can you soar above the clouds, braving through the skies with no one to stop you. That… is when you truly are flying. That is when you truly can feel the delight and joy of flying that can never be put into words. I could try to describe it to you as well as I can, but even then, it would do the word 'flying' no justice. The only way, your question can be answered… is if you reach that stage on your own.]**

 _Flashback end_

"Lifting from the ground… running… jumping… falling… hitting the ground… staying above the ground… maneuvering… braving through the skies…" Issei mumbled Ddraig's words to himself. "And all of this is possible when one never gives up…"

Issei then looked at the Boosted Gear and chuckled once more – this time, his chuckles weren't self-mocking, but more positive, as if laughing at his own obliviousness.

"Of course. Why didn't I think of it this way? If I had been a failure. How did I manage to get this far? I… We all have faced through worse and we've come alive nonetheless. Even if we don't, at least I can go out trying…" Issei said with determination.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear doubled power again.

"More! I can do more!" Issei said to the Boosted Gear, as he pushed it to its fullest potential.

 **[Boost!]** Again, it doubled its power.

"Come on!" Issei said, his teeth gritted in agony, as he pushed back against the golden boar.

 **[Boost!]** More power flowed inside Issei's human body.

"ARRGHH!" Issei screamed, as he gave it his all.

That was when a bright light shone and illuminated the Boosted Gear!

 **[Dragon Booster! Second Liberation!]** The Boosted Gear announced, as the light faded away.

"Huh?" Issei gave out, as the Boosted Gear changed shape for some reason. The Boosted Gear seemed to grow bigger and its edges (especially its fingers) seemed to be sharper.

But before he could think further, the light shone brighter once again, as the Boosted Gear made another announcement.

 **[Explosion!]**

Issei's slow-motion experience ended and with a push and a great flash of light, the golden boar was suddenly thrown off Issei's body and was thrown a good distance away.

Issei panted heavily, as he felt the weight literally lifted of his body. But before he could do anything more, information went through his head. Issei took it in. He couldn't quite comprehend the information he was taking in, but at the same time, he knew what needed to be done.

Issei struggled to get on his feet, before calling out.

"MOTOHAMA!" he called out.

The running Motohama and Matsuda turned to look at Issei, as the aggressive boars were about a few feet away from them.

"USE THE GLUE GLOVES! NOW!" Issei called out.

Motohama didn't quite understand why Issei said that, but decided that now was not the time to think and thus prepared two black glue cubes.

That was when Issei made his move.

"Boosted Gear! The second ability!" Issei shouted.

With the power Issei received through **[Explosion!]** , he held out his arm towards Motohama's gloves and sent the power to him.

"Boosted Gear Gift!"

 **[Transfer!]**

"WHOA!" "WHAT THE…!" Matsuda and Motohama exclaimed in shock.

The reason for that being because Motohama found himself holding not two smaller cubes in his gloved hands, but two humungous ones about as big as he was!

And because the cubes were so big, Motohama ended up losing his balance and fall down right as the boars would be touching their target. Matsuda also fell a split-second afterwards because he tripped over a stone.

[SPLURGE!] [SPLAT!] A great explosion of black gooey matter covered the two boys and the boars as well.

Issei instinctively closed his eyes upon being hit by the gigantic explosion, as his face got splatters of black gooey mass on him. When Issei opened his eyes, he saw to his surprise that the landscape before him and transformed from a nice grassy clearing to something of an oil accident. Moreover, all the pigs were stuck in this gluey splurge of mess and couldn't do anything really, except grunt struggle and squeal.

Issei looked hard. Where were Matsuda and Motohama?

"Man, that was close!" Issei heard a voice from among the grunting and squealing pigs.

"You got that right! But now what? And what did you just do?" Issei heard another voice speaking.

"I dunno! I heard Issei call out and then he did something with the Boosted Gear and the next second… big black human-sized cubes were in my hand and BOOM!" Issei could finally see a black gooey figure with a pair of hands making the gesture of an explosion. Right next to him was a similar figure just standing there.

"We should really ask Issei about this later," one of them said.

"Yeah, but first I need a bath because… yuck! This really sucks!" the other one said.

Issei sighed out in relief. Good… They were OK…

 **[Reset!]** Issei's powers drained from him, as he collapsed exhausted on the ground.

Nobody could blame him, since he did give his all just now.

As Issei lay there, completely exhausted, he couldn't help but wonder what that was. He looked at the Boosted Gear and saw that it still maintained its new shape.

"Is this… an upgrade…?" Issei asked himself weakly.

 **[In a way, Partner. It is the second stage of the Boosted Gear, namely the Boosted Gear Gift]** Ddraig answered.

"Ddraig! Where the heck were you? I've been calling you over and over again. Why didn't you talk to me?" Issei demanded.

 **[…Um… I'm not sure what you mean…]** Ddraig answered confused (which doesn't happen often).

Issei groaned, as he started to explain. "Just a few seconds ago, I asked you what I should do to save Matsuda and Motohama. I was getting really desperate, too, and you didn't answer me. So, what were you doing?"

 **[Did you ever ask me that? I can't recall, for the last thing I remember before the Boosted Gear Gift was awakened was you shouting "Damn it!" over and over again. So, what do you mean?]** Ddraig asked, still confused.

"Huh?" This time it was Issei's turn to be confused, as it became clear to him that Ddraig was obviously confused. "But… wait! It… The- I mean, the slow-motion mode…" Issei stammered.

 **[Slow-motion mode? Are you alright, Partner?]** Ddraig asked concerned for the mental well-being of his host.

"I… uh… never mind!" Issei quickly replied, before addressing something that Ddraig said before. "You said something about the… uh… "second stage". What did you mean by that?"

 **[Oh, that! What I meant by that was that you have achieved the Boosted Gear Gift. It is, as I said before the second stage of your growth. This gear enables you not only signifies that your strength has grown considerably to the degree that you can do more [Boosts!] than before, but also the ability to transfer your power unto others – like you did just now]** Ddraig explained.

"I did?" Issei asked confused, before turning his face at the black gooey mess before him. "I see… I really have grown have I?"

 **[Indeed, you have, Partner. Indeed, you ha-]** Ddraig affirmed, before some angry grunts and stomps interrupted him.

It turns out to be none other than a worn-out, yet furious golden boar, covered in dirt and bruises from the beating and thrashing it had received from Issei not too long ago. Nevertheless, it still had enough strength to keep it going for a while.

"Oh, crud… This thing never gives up, does it?" Issei murmured, as he tried to get up. Unfortunately, he could not for he was enormously drained from fighting, running and using the Boosted Gear all day long.

 **[Partner, get up!]** Ddraig called out to Issei.

"I wish… ugh… uhh…" Issei, as he tried in vain to lift himself up, but his arms and legs were like lead. They would not let him.

 **[Come on, Partner!]** Ddraig beckoned him, as the furious boar came closer and stood over him.

It readied to ram Issei through with its tusks for what would be last time it would ever have to do with this opponent.

"ISSEI!" "NOOOO!" Matsuda and Motohama called out from the distance, as they tried to get out of the gooey mess, but couldn't because of its stickiness.

Just when everybody thought that this was the inevitable end for Issei…

"STOP!" a man's voice called out with authority.

Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked its source. To everybody's confusion, there stood a bearded man in Germanic warrior's attire, wearing armor, boots, a cape and a sword.

The only one who wasn't confused was the golden boar, which squealed loudly in shock.

"Tis' enough, Gullinbursti! You have caused more than enough trouble just by running away. Now you seek to skewer this boy? Return to your master's fold, now!"

"BWWWEEEEE! BWWWWWEEEEEEE!" the boar, now known as Gullinbursti tried to run for its life from this unknown man.

But the man was faster. With a dash and a sword drawn in his hand, he struck the boar's hind legs. Gullinbursti fell to the ground immediately with a thud.

"BWEE! BWWEEE! BWEEE!" the boar squealed in pain, as it writhed on the ground because of its bleeding legs.

The swordsman, on the other hand, wiped his sword against his cape, before putting it back.

"Do not worry. I'll tend to your injuries later, but for now endure the pain for your foolish behavior," the man said without even glancing back.

The three boys watched in shock at what had transpired. Did he just do all that? Who was this guy even?

 **[Partner, be careful]** Ddraig warned Issei. **[This is no ordinary human being. Judging by his appearance, he must be of Nordic origin – the kinds of Odin and Thor.]**

Issei widened his eyes in shock. This man was… a god!? Issei turned to look at him. Is this is what gods look like? If he didn't know any better, he would say that this was a normal guy. Handsome and good-looking, but still human (if he didn't know any better that is). Come to think about it, the Nordic gods always did look like human beings, so… could it be? The legends about them were true all this time?

It was then that the man approached Issei and helped Issei up, much to Issei's shock.

"Forgive my familiar's behavior. I hope he hasn't caused too much trouble," the Nordic god said to Issei.

Issei didn't say anything. The shock of meeting a god was still fresh on his mind and thus he couldn't say a word.

It was then that the god saw the Boosted Gear on Issei's left arm.

"The Boosted Gear…" the man voiced out in surprise.

That was when Ddraig spoke up. **[Indeed. I am Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor and one of the two Heavenly Dragons. This here is my host, Issei Hyoudou. We were minding our own business when your familiar attacked us and our friends over there at the mass of black glue.]**

The man turned and saw Matsuda and Motohama standing there and waving nervously.

"I see… I am honored to meet your acquaintance, Sekiryuutei," the deity said to Ddraig respectfully.

Ddraig simply hummed, while Issei still stood there still rather shocked, yet a bit more responsive at the god before him. He followed the conversation before him, but was uncertain on what to say or do, which is why he let Ddraig do the talking.

"Once again, forgive my familiar's transgression. I should have kept a better eye on him, instead of neglecting him," the Nordic god bowed his head apologetically.

 **[Well, it's not like there hasn't been anything good coming out of it. I mean, thanks to the struggle my host put up, he has become stronger now]** Ddraig revealed.

"Oh, that's nice to know…" the deity answered.

 **[Yes… Anyway, you haven't quite told us who you are or why you and your familiar are here]** Ddraig told the manly god.

"Oh, yes. Forgive me, Sekiryuutei. And you, too, Master Hyoudou," the deity spoke politely, before clearing his throat. "Greetings. I am Freyr, son of Njörðr, god of virility, prosperity, sunshine and fair weather. I have come here all the way to rein in my foolish subject Gullinbursti. And my story as to how it started begins thus…"

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 20 of the Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Now, a lot of you probably guessed that the name "Gullinbursti" refers to the golden boar in this arc.**

 **Now, perhaps I should explain as to who Gullinbursti is.**

 **Gullinbursti is a golden pig forged by Eitri, one of the sons of Ivaldi (dwarves) in a bet. He made Gullinbursti by throwing in a pig skin into the furnace until it created the shining golden pig, known as Gullinbursti.**

 **Gullinbursti would go on to be Freyr's familiar, ready to be used as a means for transportation to pull his chariot. Other than Gullinbursti, Freyr also had the ship** **Skidbladnir at his side, ready to be used.**

 **And speaking of Freyr, yes, he was the one who appeared in the student council room in one of the previous chapters. And he's also the guy who appears here in this chapter.**

 **But what's his story? And why did Gullinbursti rebel against him?**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter.**

 **Whew! As for my comments for this chapter, I'm sorry this chapter is… rather short, but all I wanted to put in was this fight scene and figuring out the mechanics for this fight wasn't easy.**

 **But now that the fight is out of the way, please tell me about your thoughts of this chapter. I'd like to hear them.**

 **And as always, I hope to see you next chapter.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	29. Chapter 21 - Gullinbursti Arc, Part 5

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **So, here we are at the last chapter of the Gullinbursti Arc.**

 **Issei has finally beaten the golden boar in an epic battle. He fought tooth and nail, but even though he had been severely drained from the fight, a mysterious man saved him in the nick of time.**

 **That man turned out to be the God Freyr and the boar, as it turns out, is none other than his steed Gullinbursti (the namesake of this arc). From here on, Freyr explains everything leading up to this moment.**

 **I would also like to note a correction from my last chapter. I said that Gullinbursti was formed by Eitri, one of the sons of Ivaldi. The part about him being a son of Ivaldi turned out to be false, since the names of the sons of Eitri remain unknown.**

 **Anyway, what is Freyr's story? Well…**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 21 – Gullinbursti Arc, Part 5

 _15_ _th_ _September, Saturday, 6:05 pm – in a clearing in the forest_

The sun had partially set and the night sky was fast approaching. Yet, within the forest clearing nobody had any intentions of sleeping. For right now, Issei was listening intently at what the man – revealing to be none other than the god Freyr – had to say.

Issei had planned to hear everything then and now, had it not been for Matsuda and Motohama, who were calling out to Issei, asking him to get him out (for they were still stuck in the black gooey mess with all the other boars).

He got them out with the help of Freyr and his sword, which managed to slice the black gooey mass of them with ease (The boys had to admit, that thing did look pretty cool!).

After getting them out, the three boys sat down on the ground (for they were tired) and asked Freyr to tell them his story.

Clearing his throat, Freyr began to speak.

"I suppose I should it start from the beginning – about how Gullinbursti came to be. Gullinbursti, my unfortunately disloyal steed and familiar, was forged many years ago by the dwarf Eitri. Now, Eitri is a naturally skilled craftsman and smith – one of the best and finest craftsman and smiths in Scandinavia. However, there were others who doubted his skills, such as the god Loki," Freyr frowned to himself upon mentioning Loki's name. It was clearly obvious Freyr did not like him.

"You mean the Norse god of trickery!? He exists!?" Motohama interrupted with shock.

Matsuda, Ddraig and Issei immediately shushed him for his interruption, but Freyr didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, so you've heard of him?" Freyr said with a hint of surprise. "Then I presume you know just what kind of person he is."

Everybody nodded and kept quiet, not intending to interrupt Freyr's tale.

"As I was saying, Loki doubted Eitri's skills and made a bet – with his own head in line – with Eitri's brother Brokkr. Loki bet that Eitri would not be able to create items similar to the sons of Ivaldi, such as Gungnir, the spear of the god Odin, and Skidbladnir, my familiar boat, and the golden hair of the goddess Sif, whose hair had been shaved off by that knave Loki," Freyr frowned again in irritation at Loki's actions.

"Umm… the sons of Ivaldi?" Matsuda asked, taking advantage of the pause in Freyr's speech.

"The sons of Ivaldi are master-craftsmen, similar to Eitri, perhaps even better," Freyr explained. "But back to what I was saying… Brokkr agreed to the challenge, told Eitri about his bet and went to work together with him immediately. After several days they were done. The result of which were Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, Draupnir, the ring of Odin and finally my familiar – the golden boar Gullinbursti."

"Say, umm… How did those dwarves make a boar through smithery?" Issei asked. "I mean, when I fought it, it didn't feel like metal or anything… more like flesh and bone."

"Oh that? That was because Eitri threw in the fur coat of an ordinary boar unto the anvil, before forging it," Freyr answered. "But do not ask me how else they managed to forge him, for I am no craftsman and do not know about such things."

The boys just nodded and let Freyr continue.

"When I was called to view the fruits of Eitri's work, I was astounded. For I had never seen anything like Gullinbursti in its design and goldenness before. It was forged by fire and iron and at the same time, it also seemed so… natural… I was delighted when I found out that Eitri and Brokkr had intended to give Gullinbursti to me. So, I bought him for a generous price and made my way home. For many years I fed him, nurtured him and trained him to be my chariot-pulling steed in gold. He may not have been the most noble animal, but he was a fine beast nonetheless. But more than that, I treated him as if he were my own son. Oh, those were wonderful times…" Freyr said with a happy look on his face, as he remembered back.

This didn't last long, as Freyr's smile vanished upon making a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, despite my efforts, Gullinbursti eventually grew distant… In fact, as time went by, Gullinbursti would sometimes behave erratically."

"Erratically?" Issei asked Freyr.

"Yes, there were times, he would refuse to obey my orders. Sometimes, he would mope around, instead of pulling my chariot or vandalize my house from time to time," Freyr explained, as he massaged his forehead with his fingers in fatigue.

Matsuda, Motohama and Issei gulped. They had been on the receiving end of that boar's rampages for one day. How horrifying would such rampages "from time to time" be like – at home no less?

"But that wasn't the end of it," Freyr continued, continuing his forehead massage with his palms. "Whenever, I would be eating a meal involving pork, whether it be in a private setting or a feast, Gullinbursti would fly into a temper tantrum and spoil everything."

"Oh, man…" Motohama groaned at the very imagination of something like that. Freyr really had to go through a lot, if he managed to endure Gullinbursti for this long.

Freyr then sighed, before continuing. "I tried my best to discipline him, rein him in and make him a better familiar, but it was all useless. Gullinbursti was incorrigible and always seemed to have a red glow in his eyes whenever he was about to go on a rampage. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but after several months, I started to realize that something was wrong. I went to Eitri and Brokkr and told them about Gullinbursti's behavior. I also asked them about any possible errors… flaws in their craftsmanship. They assured me that their craftsmanship was flawless and that everything had gone perfectly… well… although…"

"Although what?" Matsuda asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well… They mentioned something about a gadfly repeatedly biting Brokkr, while he was working. While he was blowing on the fire to forge Mjolnir, the gadfly even bit his eye. Brokkr instinctively stopped his blowing for a moment and in the end, the handle ended up shorter than it should have been. But they assured me that nothing had happened to Gullinbursti during that time. In fact, by the time Gullinbursti was forged, he was well-behaved piglet. No ill-mannered behavior at all," Freyr elaborated.

"Huh…" Issei simply remarked, as he looked to the ground and stroked his chin in thought. He seemed to be in deep thought about what Freyr had said, but Freyr gave Issei no heed and continued on.

"While I was talking with them, one of my servants entered with an urgent message. Gullinbursti, whom I have left at home had broken out of its pen. I went back with haste only to find out that my servant had said the truth. I searched everywhere for him. I asked all the gods in Scandinavia for his whereabouts, but none of them knew. I went southward to ask of the Greek and Roman pantheons, but alas… nothing. After a few weeks, I heard of a rumor of what seemed to be Gullinbursti moving all across Eurasia towards the east. I followed and eventually came to your country where I met deities of the Shinto faction…"

"Shinto faction? As in Susanoo and Amaterasu? They exist?" Issei interrupted Freyr.

Freyr raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me you didn't know?"

 **[Unfortunately, my host and his friends here were raised to be atheists. There was no way they would know that supernatural beings of any kind would exist]** Ddraig told Freyr.

Freyr silently shook his head. Why were people nowadays like this? But he decided that this was a topic for another time and continued where he had left off.

"As I was saying… The Shinto deities told me that some of their own had encountered Gullinbursti and tried to catch it, only for him to elude them. It turned out that all this had happened a few days ago and that he was heading towards Devil territory near Kuoh. So, I went to Kuoh, told the governors of Kuoh, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, about my story and asked them to let me find Gullinbursti in their territory. They were skeptical at first, but in the end they granted me permission. I searched this forest high and low until I the sound of your fighting reached my ears. I saw you…" Freyr pointed at Issei. "...fighting Gullinbursti with your bare hands. I have to say, I am impressed holding out like that on your own against Gullinbursti. That requires a lot of strength, endurance and skill, something that even experienced warriors of my own household would be pressed to match," Freyr praised Issei.

Issei blushed at the compliment. "Th-thanks…" he stuttered.

"No, no… I am the one to thank you, Master Hyoudou," Freyr insisted with a smile.

"Umm… We also helped, you know?" Matsuda interrupted politely.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for us, Issei would have been dead a long time ago," Motohama added.

Freyr turned his face to them surprised, then to Issei who nodded at their statement.

"I see… Then I thank you both as well… umm…" Freyr trailed off.

It was then that Matsuda and Motohama realized that they forgot to introduce themselves.

"I'm Matsuda Hibiki!" Matsuda blurted out.

"And I'm Motohama Todoriki! Pleased to meet you, sir!" Motohama added just as quickly.

"The pleasure is all mine, dear lads," Freyr answered politely. "I'm sorry that my familiar put you through all this effort."

"No problem. It was a good workout, wasn't it?" Motohama looked at Matsuda and Issei expectantly.

Matsuda looked at Motohama, as if he went bonkers and Issei just frowned at him. Clearly they did not have the same opinion. After fighting nearly to the death, what did one expect?

Issei's mind then wandered off from Motohama's attempts at flattery and was thinking about what Freyr said about the bet between Loki and Brokkr.

"Umm… Lord Freyr?" Issei addressed the deity.

"No need to be so formal, call me Freyr. What is it?" Freyr asked Issei.

"Well, you mentioned something about a bet between Loki and… that dwarf, I forgot his name… Anyway, he made those items successfully, right? What happened to Loki – the loser of the bet?" Issei asked.

Freyr was taken aback for a moment, before his face turned into a frown.

"Oh… that…" Freyr replied sourly, as the memory of that day surfaced in his head. "After Brokkr presented the items in front of a jury of gods, they deemed Brokkr the winner of the bet. But unfortunately, Loki found a loophole in his bet. Instead of having his head chopped off as required, he told them that he only promised to give him his head, but not any part of his neck. And seeing how head and neck are so intertwined together, it was impossible to take off his head. In the end, the gods decided to merely have his lips sewn together by the sons of Ivaldi as punishment for his deceptive wordplay."

"Pfff… sewn together…" Motohama giggled.

"Must have hurt… pfff…" Matsuda added, while holding his laughter in.

Issei also couldn't help but laugh at the image of a god having to sit through the torment of having his lips sewn together and trying his best to speak.

Freyr had to chuckle for a bit, as the memory of that particular part of the day came to mind.

"I'll admit that was funny… Although that cur deserved worse…" Freyr's face had darkened with loathing for the trickster god.

Issei and the others couldn't help but stop their laughter, as they winced at Freyr's sour face.

Freyr only stopped his glowering when he saw the intimidated looks on the trio's faces. "I'm sorry. I… just exhibited unwanted behavior, didn't I?" he asked.

"It's OK… It's OK…" Issei assured him.

Issei made a mental note not to talk too much about Loki in front of Freyr's presence. Loki truly was a tricky god, just as he was dangerous.

That was when Issei remembered something about what Freyr said earlier. Upon thinking about the subject matter in mind with his hand stroking his chin, Issei linked it with everything he knew about Loki and the events that had happened. The bet… the making of the items… the nature of the items themselves… and Gullinbursti's rampage…

'Of course…' Issei's eyes widened in realization, as he linked these facts together. 'It all makes sense…'

Everyone noticed Issei had practically frozen with surprise.

"Master Hyoudou? Are you alright?" Freyr asked Issei with concern.

"Issei?" Matsuda said next, as he waved a hand in front of his face.

"Issei?" Motohama said, as he carefully laid his hand on his shoulder.

 **[Partner? Is something the matter?]** Ddraig asked.

It was then that Issei got out of his quasi-frozen state and looked at Motohama.

"What? Did something happen?" Issei asked confused. Before Motohama could speak, Ddraig did so.

 **[You were standing there completely unresponsive. Is something wrong?]** Ddraig asked again.

Issei shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong, Ddraig…" Issei replied.

Matsuda and Motohama let out a sigh in relief, as the latter moved his hand of Issei's shoulder and backed away.

Issei turned to face Freyr with a serious look on his face, which caught the latter by surprise.

"Tell me something. Does Loki have a grudge on Thor?" Issei asked Freyr.

Freyr looked at Issei with uncertainty as to what his intentions were. But nodded nonetheless.

"Well, yes. That is a well-known fact. He has always been jealous Thor for being his father's favorite. Why the question?" Freyr asked with raised eyebrows.

"And can Loki turn into anyone and anything whenever he wants to?" Issei asked again, ignoring Freyr's own questioning.

Freyr nodded. "Well, yes... But what has that got to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to it. Did Loki know beforehand about what the dwarves were going to make?" Issei asked a third time.

"No, though I wouldn't be surprised, if he found out sooner or later. He is quite crafty and has spies everywhere," Freyr answered.

Issei moved on. "And the last question: Does Loki have anything else to gain other than keeping his head, if those items these dwarves made… go out of control?"

At this question, Freyr went silent.

"Issei, what are you doing?" Matsuda asked him.

"Yeah, why all the random questions?" Motohama questioned his friend.

 **[Partner? Can you tell us what is going on?]** Ddraig demanded.

"I'll get to that, but first, let's hear the answer to my question," Issei told everyone, getting everybody to focus on Freyr.

As Matsuda, Motohama and Issei turned to Freyr, they could see that he seemed to be deep in thought about what Issei had said and was facing the ground. Nobody said a word, as they decided to wait for Freyr to finish his thoughts.

Then Freyr lifted his head to face them.

"Yes…" Freyr began quietly. "Yes… Now that I think of it, he does have an interest in subverting the quality of the items made by Eitri and Brokkr. It would make them look bad… make them lose face among their companions and the gods…"

Frey looked at Issei with a face filled with realization. "Do you mean to say that Loki…?"

Issei gave him a firm smile and nodded. "Exactly."

"What are you guys talking about?" Motohama asked Issei.

"Yeah, tell us!" Matsuda insisted.

"Guys, I just figured something out…" Issei explained. "…Everything that Freyr told us about all the way to what has happened up till now… It's all connected…"

Matsuda and Motohama looked at their friend confused.

"I'm not sure I understand…" Matsuda said.

"Perhaps I need to explain. Here's what happened…" Issei started his explanation.

* * *

 **Issei's explanation:**

"Loki and that dwarf… umm… Brokkr… made a bet, betting that Brokkr's brother wouldn't be able to make high-quality items worthy of a god…"

"But Loki probably figured out one way or the other that whatever they were making was going to be a success. So he sought a way to derail their work…"

"When he found out that Thor's hammer was going to be made, he was more determined than ever to hinder their work…"

"This is why, Loki disguised himself as a fly…"

"Before you ask, yes, that fly – the same one that was bothering the dwarf brothers at their work. That was him..."

"He bit Brokkr over and over again until he managed to achieve some results. The handle of Thor's famous hammer was shortened. Probably not short enough to make it unusable, but shortened nonetheless..."

"But it wasn't enough…"

"The items were created and the gods decided to give Brokkr the win. Loki managed to weasel his way out of his bet through word-play, though that didn't save him from being humiliated by the gods…"

"From here on out it's just me speculating. I'm not sure, if all this is true or not, but everything I say here is just a theory…"

"Loki, being filled with rage at the memory of his humiliation and seeing Thor getting such a cool weapon, was plotting his revenge. Doing harm upon the dwarves who made the items was too straightforward and would have obviously made him the main suspect, so he decided on something subtler…"

"He probably reasoned that even if he lost the contest, he could still win the bet…"

"How? Why by doing as much damage to the sacred items as possible. There was a problem though… By the time the contest had ended, they were already in the hands of their new owners…"

"The hammer was with Thor and to face Thor and do something to his hammer at this point was too risky- even for someone like Loki. Besides, he already managed to shorten the hammer's handle, so that was something, even if it wasn't good enough to degrade its usefulness… I would, if I were in his shoes anyway…"

"The ring of Odin… well… I don't think I need to explain why facing Odin, his father, is an even worse idea…"

"That leaves only Gullinbursti, Freyr's familiar. Not only was Freyr probably weaker than Thor and Odin (no offense to you, Freyr!) but Gullinbursti was vulnerable as well. Unlike a ring or a hammer, you can't carry a boar on you at all times. And if the boar is in a pen, then what are the odds of being caught? Probably not as high as the other options, right?"

"I'm not sure how Loki did it, whether it be through hypnosis or magic or whatever… he managed to make Gullinbursti disobedient and go on a rampage… In fact, I dare say that I would not be surprised, if he was the one who let out Gullinbursti when Freyr went to talk to the dwarf brothers that day…"

"And who knows? Maybe Loki is spreading rumors about the dwarf brothers' faulty creations and ultimately 'winning' the bet so to speak…"

"*Sigh* You really do have a reason to hate him. Right, Freyr? I know I would…"

* * *

After Issei had finished his explanation. Matsuda and Motohama stood there in awe at what they had just heard. Freyr on the other hand was seething with rage. He couldn't believe that Loki would go this far just for a pathetic grudge against Eitri and Brokkr. He swore to himself that once he saw Loki himself, he would throw a punch at his face.

"That… actually made a lot of sense…" Motohama remarked impressed.

"Yeah, the way you said it made you sound like a detective…" Matsuda complimented.

Issei looked at them in surprise, before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ehehe… Oh, it's nothing…" Issei laughed nervously, trying to play it down.

 **[But Partner]** Ddraig argued. **[While what you said was plausible, we don't have any proof that it was Loki who did all these things.]**

"Yeah, unfortunately, you are right…" Issei admitted. "But hey! At least it was worth considering. Right, Freyr?" he turned to the deity in question, only to be taken aback by a rather angry god, directing his anger not at them, but at a certain prankster god.

"Umm… Freyr?" Issei addressed him.

This shook Freyr out of his thoughts and paid attention to Issei.

"I'm sorry. I was deep in thought. Could you say that again?" Freyr asked.

"Umm… well I was talking about my theory and what I thought may have happened and… uh… you didn't seem very happy just now…" Issei remarked cautiously in order not to anger him.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't angry at you. Don't worry. I was more or less angry about what Loki has been doing behind our back. That knave! When I get my hands on him, he'll be wishing it was Thor and Odin coming after him!" Freyr said with indignation.

"Yeah, but – like Ddraig said – we don't exactly have proof on him…" Matsuda started, but Freyr waved him off.

"No matter. I shall find the evidence myself, as soon as I and Gullinbursti return home to Scandinavia. And even if I don't, I shall nevertheless put forward a warning to the other gods about Loki's acts of mischief. You need not concern yourself any more with this matter anymore. You have helped me plenty by stopping Gullinbursti and giving me a possible theory of what might have happened. And for that I, Freyr, the god of virility, prosperity, sunshine and fair weather, am in your debt," Freyr gave the boys a polite bow.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were shocked that a god would show them so much respect and stood there, unsure on what to do or say.

After Freyr finished his bow, he stood up straight again. "As a reward for your efforts, I can enhance your weaponry. If that should be impossible, I can give you new ones or even give you other gifts."

"R-r-really!?" Issei voiced incredulously.

"W-wow… I don't know what to say…" Matsuda followed with a stutter.

"What kind of weapons and gifts!?" Motohama asked excited.

"Well, that we shall see. But first, show me your weaponry," Freyr asked them.

The boys nodded and activated their gifts – well Matsuda tried to, but he couldn't for the helicopter hadn't fully been restored yet.

Freyr first went over to Motohama to inspect his gift, the glue gloves.

"What do these gloves do?" Freyr asked.

"Umm… they create dark energy or matter, which is all sticky. I can create cubes and when I throw them, they explode and make anybody caught in them stuck. Like those boars over there," Motohama pointed at the numerous boars who were still stuck in the black goo. By now some of them had already freed themselves from their gooey predicament and have quietly trotted off into the forest. It was only a matter of time, before the rest of them would, too, having had enough of fighting the human trio.

Freyr turned to look at where Motohama was pointing at. "I see…" he remarked, before turning his face to Motohama again.

"Impressive. A good gift you have there. Unfortunately, I cannot enhance it, for I know not what I could improve on this device," Freyr said, shaking his head sadly.

Motohama looked disappointed for a moment, but what Freyr said a moment afterwards lifted up his mood.

"What I can do, is gift you with this," Freyr took out an item from his belt and handed it to Motohama.

As Motohama laid his eyes on it, he widened his eyes.

The item he had received was a short-sword. It seemed to be about 30 cm long from the bottom of the grip to the tip of the sword. Moreover, its blade was made of fine steel and was single-edged. Its handle was made of wood.

Overall, not too impressive of a weapon, but still a formidably dangerous weapon nonetheless.

Seeing, Motohama's unsure reaction, Freyr decided to elaborate more about it.

"This is a seax, a type of short-sword commonly used in my country. It may not be much, but do not let its simple appearance fool you. This particular seax is made by Eitri and Brokkr, who made sure that it is strong and sturdy. They made sure to magically enforce it, thus making it not only stay sharp and practically unbreakable, but also enable you to see in the dark," Freyr explained.

"See in the dark? How?" Motohama inquired.

"By willing it. You just have to will it," Freyr answered. "Also, I presume this is your first time using it, am I right?"

Motohama nodded, before Freyr continued.

"When you practice using it, be very careful. This is no training sword and with its caliber you can actually hurt someone, if you're not careful. I recommend you find a suitable swordsman who can train you, before you actually use it. Once you do, you'll be able to fight foes at close range, should the need arise. Do you understand," Freyr asked of Motohama.

Motohama nodded again. Of course, he was no fool, so naturally he would follow his advice. He still had one question, however.

"Are you really sure you want to give away such a good sword? I mean, you said yourself that it was good and…" Motohama asked, but Freyr answered before he could finish.

"It is no problem," Freyr answered him with a wave of his hand. "Eitri and Brokkr can easily make me a new one. It's not a problem. Also, take this sheath," Freyr threw Motohama a sheath for the short-sword.

"Thanks…" Motohama simply said, as he tried to figure out how to put the seax into the sheath.

"Good. Now moving on…" Freyr said, as he moved on to Matsuda. "What is your gift?"

"Well… It's a helicopter that can shrink and grow at will. I heard it can shoot bullets and drop bombs. We three can fit in there, though it sucks that we don't necessarily sit comfortably in it. And umm…" Matsuda was about to continue, but Freyr stopped him.

"Speak no more. I shall see for myself what needs to be done. Could you summon it for me?" Freyr asked of Matsuda.

Matsuda chuckled awkwardly. "Well, here's the thing. It still needs to reload for another… uh…" he stopped to look at his watch. "…Uh… Two hours at most, before I can summon it out."

"No matter. I can find out all I need to know about it. Hold on… Could you stretch your device out to me please?" Freyr asked Matsuda. The latter stretched his arm and Freyr laid a hand on Matsuda's watch.

Freyr concentrated and after a few seconds a light came from Matsuda's watch, illuminating the clearing. Then the light vanished and Matsuda opened his eyes. To his surprise nothing had changed. Matsuda was about to ask Freyr, but the latter simply smiled.

"You'll find out what I have done, once you summon it," Freyr said, as he moved on to Issei.

"Now, what is your gift – other than your Sacred Gear that is?" Freyr asked Issei.

This confused Issei. "Huh? What's wrong with the Boosted Gear?" Issei asked.

"Well, nothing is wrong with it, Rather, it is just that altering Sacred Gears for better or for worse are beyond my capabilities, especially for one such as the Boosted Gear," Freyr replied.

Ddraig couldn't help but feel smug after hearing this.

 **[Indeed, that is true]** Ddraig said.

Issei didn't like it when Ddraig butted into the conversation, but decided to leave it be.

"But back to the issue. What is your gift and what does it do?" Freyr asked again.

"Well, my gift is this," Issei answered, as he adjusted his special glasses. "These glasses enable me to see things in all different kinds of filters, like heat-vision for example. There are many more that I haven't checked out yet, but… you get the idea. Heck, now that I think about it, I can even detect Wi-fi on this thing! Who knows…? Maybe I can surf on the internet? Provided, **if** I can connect…"

Freyr nodded and put a hand under his chin to think about what to do. After a while, he removed his hand from under his chin and answered.

"I'm afraid, I can't enhance your gift either…" Freyr began, leading Issei to be disappointed as well.

"But why?" Issei asked.

"It is as with Motohama's gift. I know not what to enhance it with or even if there is anything to improve on at all... So, I'm not sure what I can give you..." After having said that Freyr went deep into thought.

It took him twenty seconds to figure out what to give him. Issei, on the other hand waited rather impatiently at what Freyr would say.

"I've got it! Red Dragon Emperor. Tell me, can the Boosted Gear absorb items?" Freyr asked Ddraig.

 **[Yes, it can. Why do you ask?]** Ddraig asked.

"What? What do you have in mind?" Issei asked Freyr.

"Oh, you'll see," Freyr replied. He held out his hand towards Issei and a bright light emitted from it.

The light blinded him and when the light had diminished…

"Whoa! Wh-what is this?" Issei asked surprised, as he nearly let the blue orb drop.

In his hands was a cold light-blue orb about the size of a baseball. It was solid and looked and felt like ceramic, except that the essence on the inside was moving. Also, it was cold as ice, which is why Issei almost dropped it in the first place. The temptation to put it on the ground still remained because of how cold it was.

"This is an ice orb from the cold snowy North. It is meant for practical uses such as freezing frozen food or cooling injuries. However, it can also be used for freezing water in small measures. I decided to give you this, seeing it would be a wonderful addition to your Boosted Gear. With it you can use it anytime you want along with your Boosted Gear, doing all the things I mentioned earlier. Please note that you won't be able to use it to launch any ice-attacks with it. For that, you would need a larger, stronger ice-orb," Freyr explained.

Issei looked at Freyr and Ddraig confused. "I thought you said you couldn't add anything to the Boosted Gear," Issei spoke confused.

 **[I forgot about this particular aspect…]** Ddraig admitted embarrassingly, causing Issei to facepalm.

"While, I just made an educated guess after hearing all the rumors about the Boosted Gear and figured its absorption ability was one of them," Freyr said delighted. "Now, absorb it."

Issei looked at the ice orb with uncertainty. He took it with one hand and right before he had it touch the Boosted Gear, he asked Ddraig one more question.

"Say, Ddraig? You're a fire-based dragon. Wouldn't it harm you, if you got something ice-based inside the Boosted Gear?" Issei asked Ddraig with concern.

 **[Ice-based items may not be my element, but it would do more than a mere ice-orb of this size to do some serious harm to someone like me]** Ddraig replied confidently.

Issei nodded and put the ice-orb on the Boosted Gear…

A light flashed and the ice-orb was gone!

"Where did it go?" issei asked, as he looked around.

 **[It's in the Boosted Gear, Partner]** Ddraig told Issei. **[The absorption succeeded.]**

Issei pumped his fist in the air in jubilation and proceeded to test his new ability.

He put the Boosted Gear gauntlet on the grassy floor… and sure enough, the grass was covered in frost and spread around him in a slowly expanding circle.

"Cool… That's a really neat gift you gave me, Freyr!" Issei exclaimed excited.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Freyr said with a smile.

Matsuda, Motohama and Issei immediately got into a conversation about their presents from Freyr.

Freyr couldn't help but watch on, as they spoke with fascination on how cool their gifts were. He was the god of virility, prosperity, sunshine and fair weather after all. He may not have been as generous as Santa Claus during Christmas, but he was working all year round, establishing all the beforementioned virtues in Northern Europe as well as he could.

And that alone made him happy.

Seeing how everybody had received their gifts, Freyr made an announcement.

"Now, that is settled it is about time I should go. Gullinbursti needs to be inspected and Loki must be dealt with," Freyr said, getting everybody's attention. "But before I go, I want to give you all, but especially you Master Hyoudou, one final advice."

Issei stood straightened upon hearing his surname.

Freyr cleared his throat, before telling them his words of wisdom.

"As you go on through life and through trials and battles, it is important you know this: Always remember each other. Do not always think about protecting each other all by yourselves, but use the gifts and abilities you have to your advantage. Together you are strong."

After saying these things, Freyr turned around and whistled loudly.

A few seconds later, the perverted quartet saw something coming towards them. It looked like… a flying tiny boat? On a closer look, it seemed to be like a miniature dragon boat with a sail.

Freyr introduced them to his familiar. "This is my flying ship familiar, Skidbladnir, the one I mentioned to you earlier. Normally, I keep it folded in my pocket, only this time I had it patrol the vicinity to look for Gullinbursti. Unlike Gullinbursti, this one has never acted up, so I'm grateful for it for that. It even follows my every order hesitatingly. Now then, grow!"

And to everyone's surprise, Skidbladnir did, growing to about the size of a car. Matsuda couldn't help but compare it to his helicopter, the Chopping Board Type 1. He also couldn't help but wonder what kind of functions this ship had.

"Now, then…" Freyr walked over to where Gullinbursti was. It was still wounded, but at least it wasn't in as much pain as before. Nevertheless, it had no intention of moving. Instead, it looked at its master defiantly.

"Gullinbursti, shrink now and let me pick or I shall give the boys permission to do whatever they want with you," Freyr threatened the golden boar with as little menace as possible.

Gullinbursti looked at Freyr angrily, but decided to relent. He shrunk and within a second it was the size of a piglet.

"Seriously!?" Matsuda yelled in disbelief.

"You mean this is its true form!?" Motohama added in disbelief, as well.

 **[Indeed, Partner. Probably why Freyr kept him as a pet in the first place]** Ddraig concluded.

Freyr carefully picked Gullinbursti up and laid it on his shoulders. Then he went up the boat and laid him down. It was then that the boat started to ascend and was ready to fly back to Scandinavia. Freyr looked at the boys one last time.

"I hope to see you soon. I trust, you can take care of yourselves from here on out?" Freyr asked them.

"Yeah! No problem!" Issei called out.

"Besides, we don't need to wait that long! All we need to do is wait till Matsuda's helicopter is ready and then we're off!" Motohama called out.

"Thanks for everything!" Matsuda waved him goodbye.

Freyr laughed heartily. "No, I am the one to thank you! If ever you come to Sweden – to my home – I shall welcome you with a feast like you've never seen before! Farewell! And Godspeed!"

With that, he turned around and set his flight westward to his home, the ship Skidbladnir flew away.

The three boys waved until they could see him no more. Then… they fell to the ground in exhaustion…

"Man, I don't know why, but… I'm all pooped for some reason…" Matsuda remarked.

"Me too… Must because of everything we've been today…" Motohama guessed.

"That all happened today? It felt like… several days…" Issei commented tiredly.

The three boys just lay there in silence in the grass.

After a few minutes, Matsuda looked at Issei.

"Tell me something… What was that… earlier?" Matsuda asked Issei.

"What was what?" Issei asked back confused.

"Your Boosted Gear," Matsuda pointed at the new Boosted gear on Issei's arm. "What happened?"

"Oh… that…" Isssei said. "Well… I was fighting that boar… I ended up in… uh… slow-motion mode and had lost much of my power for a moment. Then I saw you almost get run over by the horde of pigs… I snapped… I tried everything in my power to boost my power beyond my limit and then… I reached it…"

"Reached what?" Motohama asked.

 **[Dragon Booster! Second Liberation!]** Ddraig answered this time. **[It is the next stage of the Boosted Gear that enables its host to do Gift Transfer. Gift Transfer allows its user to transfer power unto anyone the user desires and strengthen its target, in this case it was you, Motohama.]**

"Me…?" Motohama voiced incredulously.

 **[Yes. You remember how your black goo cubes grew to such humungous sizes? That was the effect of Gift Transfer]** Ddraig finished.

Matsuda and Motohama were both shocked and impressed. Issei had gotten this much powerful? Just how much stronger could Issei become? They could shiver at what might be possible. But their fatigue got the better of them and were about to fall asleep. It had been a long day after all.

"Guys?" Issei spoke up. "I feel kind of tired…"

"Me too…" Matsuda added.

"Me three…" Motohama piped in.

The three of them looked up into the sky. It was getting really dark and they could see the stars up in the sky, twinkling beautifully.

It was also starting to get cold and the three boys were starting to shiver. Which is why, Matsuda and Motohama wrapped themselves with their fur-coats to keep themselves warm.

Issei, on the other hand, couldn't help but grumble and shiver at their selfishness. He was about to protest, but then remembered what Freyr told them earlier and decided now was the best time to say it.

"Guys? Guys?" Issei called out repeatedly. His two friends reacted by turning around to look at him. "Remember what Freyr said about us sticking together?" he asked them, while gesturing them that he was cold.

They nodded tiredly and scooted closer to their friend, understanding what he was getting at.

As a result, they huddled together. Matsuda and Motohama even arranged it so that Issei could be covered by their blankets. It was still chilly, but at least Issei felt warmer.

"So, what do we do next?" Issei asked Matsuda and Motohama.

Matsuda and Motohama shrugged their shoulders.

"I don't know. I would have suggested we wait till 8 pm or so when the helicopter is ready to go, but somehow…" Matsuda yawned, before continuing. "…I just want to have a reeeaaaaally good sleep for a few hours."

"Me too…" Motohama affirmed, as he yawned as well. "…I suppose we should head out first thing in the morning, right?"

Matsuda shook his head. "Somehow I don't think so. What if we set out in the morning and land at noon right in the middle of Tokyo? That sounds like too much attention-grabbing headlines to me. Not to mention, how are we supposed to land anyway?"

"Umm… outside the city maybe?" Motohama suggested.

Issei and Matsuda thought for a while, but then shook their heads.

"Nah, too risky. We could still get seen," Issei said.

"Then what do you suggest?" Motohama asked.

"I'd say we get up at..." Issei looked for the alarm setting on his watch and then adjusted it accordingly. "…4:30 am. Then we get up and get the helicopter going. That way we can land some place near Tokyo, before anybody it's dawn and then get approach there on foot," Issei elaborated on his plan.

Matsuda and Motohama gave him a blank stare, but didn't find any problem with Issei's plan and just decided to go with it.

"OK, good enough… Now, nap-time… zzzz…" Motohama fell fast asleep.

"Yeah… the sooner we get out of this stinking forest, the better… I mean camping out here is fun and all… but not if you're chased by boars… and bigger boars… all while fighting for your life… I… just want a bed… and… zzzz…" Matsuda's monologue was cut off, as he fell asleep as well.

"Good night, Matsuda… Good night, Motohama… Good night, Ddraig…" Issei whispered to them all.

 **[Good night to you, Partner. You did well today. You've got a long day tomorrow. And there's so much ahead of you]** Ddraig whispered back.

"Yeah… Good… night…" Issei replied, as fatigue overtook him. In a flash, the Boosted Gear was dismissed.

What a day it has been… First crash-landing… then setting up camp… then hunting and killing for food… then learning how to skin boars… then running for your lives… fighting for your lives… getting an upgrade… and finally meeting a god and solving a mystery… Was this what life was going to be for him… for them all… from now on?

Whatever the case, Issei knew one thing, before he drifted off to sleep between his two best friends on the grassy floor of the forest clearing.

All of this… was just the beginning…

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 21 of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Boy, oh boy! Have I been busy lately (largely because of video games), but at last I managed to get this chapter done!**

 **I've even been writing on the next chapter and what is to come.**

 **Also, I didn't originally plan to write this much in this chapter, yet I came up with this idea to throw in this mystery element into the chapter. It was especially convenient considering that Issei was supposed to become a vigilante in this story, which in turn involves detective work of some kind. What better opportunity than use this chapter as a foretaste of what is to come?**

 **Granted, I have no idea how well I would be able to write mysteries, but we'll see when the time comes. I hope it turns out well…**

 **Now, I do realize that in the canon, Issei eventually gets Skidbladnir, the flying ship familiar, and calls it Ryuuteimaru. I don't know if that will be the case here. Perhaps if I do, I might give him a similar ship, since this Skidbladnir is clearly Freyr's and will remain that way.**

 **As for the Nordic mythology and their affairs… for now, I won't be dealing much with them. I might elaborate a bit more on what is to happen in my Epilogue to the Gullinbursti Arc. Consider this an introduction of events that are to come sometime in the future.**

 **In the meantime, what did you think of this chapter?**

 **I would like to hear from you? Please read and review.**

 **And I hope to see you in the Epilogue of the Gullinbursti Arc.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	30. Chapter 22 - Tokyo Toyko!

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **I sincerely apologize for the delay. If any of you have read my profile, you probably know that I had final written exams and that my computer has had technical difficulties.**

 **Now that I've got the final written exams behind me and computer fixed, I can finally continue the story.**

 **Now, we come to the epilogue of the Gullinbursti Arc. What is the aftermath of the whole incident?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 22 – Tokyo… Tokyo!

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 4:30 am – in the forest clearing_

It was dark in the forest in the middle of nowhere. Owls were hooting and the sun had not yet risen to the horizon. Yet, that didn't prevent Matsuda's alarm watch from going off.

Matsuda's eyelids fluttered, before opening completely. He looked at the watch and saw the time. He yawned, right before Issei and Motohama roused from their sleep.

"Ugh… What time is it…?" Issei asked groggily.

"It's 4:31 am…" Matsuda answered. He was weary, but he knew what he had to do. "Come on, guys. Get up. It's time to go."

"But… I'm still so tired… waahhhh…" Motohama let out a yawn.

Matsuda gave him an annoyed look. "Motohama. We already went through this. We wake up in the morning and then we start the helicopter. That way we can get to Tokyo before anyone has a chance to notice a friggin' helicopter with three guys in it flying over Tokyo."

"Can't we do it at sunset?" Motohama asked tiredly.

"Nope," Issei answered, as he stood up. "Unless you want to stay here and get firewood and hunt for food."

Motohama mulled over the options. Although he wanted to sleep longer, having a potential repeat of yesterday (even without the golden boar incident) wasn't very fun. And so, he reluctantly sat himself up.

"Ahhh… What the heck… Might as well do it, if my sleep is going to be disturbed. But there better be an apartment ready for us to crash in… in… uhh…" Motohama trailed off at the end.

"Tokyo," Issei finished the phrase for him.

"No… no… I meant the district in Tokyo," Motohama clarified.

"Nerima," Matsuda simply answered.

"Oh, yeah… yeah… Now I remember…" Motohama said, as he stretched his body.

The three boys took off their clothes and took a quick wash in the river for they wanted to present themselves to the landowner as clean as possible. After putting their clothes back on, they were ready.

"Matsuda?" Issei signaled to Matsuda.

"Yeah," Matsuda nodded. He activated two buttons on his watch…

[Flash!]

… and with a flash the Chopping Board Type 1 appeared, nearly good as new. The three boys looked at the helicopter with wonder because of how different it looked.

Not only was it fixed and good as new, it also had significant changes as well.

The most significant difference was that it was bigger. Also, its turrets seemed to be bigger than before (probably had more firepower, too). And how about its ability to shrink?

Matsuda pushed the center-right button on the controller…

[VROOOOoooommm…]

The helicopter shrank down to its original size back when Matsuda first received it. So in that regard it hasn't changed…

"Dude, what are you doing? Stop messing around and let's get going," Issei said impatiently.

Matsuda gave Issei an irritated look. "OK, OK… Yeesh…" he replied and pressed the center-right button again. He held it down until it grew back to maximum size (note: growing and shrinking the helicopter are activated by the same button; the two functions take turns).

[vrooooOOOOOMMMM!]

Once the helicopter grew back to its original size, the boys got ready to enter. As soon as Motohama opened the door, he couldn't help but be astonished.

"Hey, guys! Check it out!" Motohama announced excitedly. "Look how big it is on the inside!"

Issei and Matsuda briefly looked at Motohama, before making the discovery themselves, in addition to other discoveries.

Not only was the inside bigger, but there were proper seats, instead of the down-sized sitting cushions like before. Now, that is not to say that sitting on cushions was bad, but in a helicopter like this, proper seats were much better. Also, there was room enough to fit in two seats at the front and two seats in the middle, but also what seemed to be an area at the back with an embedded sitting area at the side.

"Man! Freyr really has a good taste in helicopters! Am I right?" Matsuda remarked, as he climbed his way to the pilot's seat, taking a good look on the inside while doing so.

"Yeah, we should thank Freyr properly for this!" Issei commented, as he made his way to the co-pilot seat.

"Yup!" Motohama chimed in with a nod, taking a seat at one of the back-seats. While glancing in the back area, he also saw… boxes?

He opened one and saw…

"Those are parachutes!" Motohama exclaimed in surprise.

"What is?" Matsuda asked, as he and Issei looked at their friend.

"Parachutes, right here! See?" Motohama pointed at the inscription on the backpack with a laugh.

Issei and Matsuda widened their eyes in shock, before giving off whoops of joy.

"Now, we don't have to worry about falling to out deaths ever!" Issei exclaimed, as he and Matsuda shared a high-five.

"Yeah, never again. I wonder what else is in this thing?" Matsuda asked with excitement.

{Hello, Captain! It's a pleasure to have you on board again} a familiar voice resounded.

"Phoebe! Good to hear your voice again!" Matsuda said to Phoebe, the helicopter's A. I.

{I welcome all passengers to the Chopping Board Type 2} Phoebe announced to everyone.

This caused the boys to raise their eyebrows.

"Chopping Board Type 2?" Issei asked confused.

{The Chopping Board Type 2 is an improved version of the Chopping Board Type 1} Phoebe explained. {As you may have noticed, the size of the Chopping Board Type 2 is noticeably bigger than Type 1. It is 2 meters tall, has 6 meters in rotor diameter and is 5 meters in length. It also has an increased internal capacity and thus also more seats. Two are at the front, two at the back and two embedded benches at the back for additional passenger capacity. The hind compartment can also be used for logistical purposes, like transporting goods. Because of the increased size of the Chopping Board Type 2, it also allows the installation of proper seats, instead of the cushioning in Type 1. The turret has increased in size and weight, allowing more firepower and maneuverability. It can be directed from the pilot cockpit, as well as via remote. Both the ammunition from the turret and from the bomb hatch at the bottom are made of dark glue matter. Warning: Using either of them can be lethal and should be used in caution! In case of emergency, autopilot will be available as always. Should the Chopping Board Type 2 be completely incapacitated, there are parachute backpacks at the back, ready to be used. To activate them, first disembark from the helicopter and then pull the ripcord. Finally, the Chopping Board Type 2 not only allows the pilot to fly via controller, but also via standard controls like in regular helicopters. The condition for controlling the Chopping Board Type 2 remains placing the controller on the cockpit slot. Shrinking and increasing the size of the Chopping Board Type 2 remains as a function and can only be used outside the Chopping Board type 2. Thank you for your attention and I wish you a safe flight.}

With that, Phoebe stopped speaking.

Nobody said anything for a while. The first one who said anything was Matsuda.

"Hmm… Now that's… comprehensive…" Matsuda remarked, before turning his head to look at his friends.

Motohama and Issei agreed with nodded heads.

Matsuda turned back to face the cockpit. "Now that that's done with…" he began and put the controller into the slot.

"…let's get down to business…" Matsuda stated, as moved the Chopping Board Type 2 with his trusted controller.

The rotor turned slowly… then went faster… Matsuda pitched the hind rotor with his controller, pushed forward… and so did the helicopter.

"Good thing we found this clearing or else we'd never be able to take off!" Motohama remarked.

"Yeah," Issei nodded, as he braced himself. "But at least, we're finally leaving this forest… for good!"

"Yeah," Motohama nodded. "Let's get out of here."

Everybody looked forward, as the helicopter picked up speed and tilted downward, much to the discomfort of Issei and Motohama.

"Matsuda! Don't tilt it like that!" Issei told Matsuda, as he tried to keep himself from hitting the front window.

"Yeah, you wanna kill us?" Motohama said, as he braced himself against the front seats because of the gravity.

Their nerves were on edge right now. They feared Matsuda would make some kind of fatal mistake upon take-off. Matsuda was still new to this, so it's only natural to be worried.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Matsuda answered annoyed, as he tried to figure out how to keep the helicopter from tilting downward.

{Move right stick backwards to reverse forward pitch} Phoebe's monotone voice spoke.

Matsuda did so, pulled the right sticks back and sure enough the helicopter no longer tilted downward nose-first, but it did not go forward. Instead it came to a halt (more or less), but at least it was still moving higher and higher.

"Ooh… thank goodness…" Matsuda wiped the sweat from his face. "Thanks, Phoebe."

{You're welcome, Captain} Phoebe replied monotonously.

"Whew… for a second there I thought you were gonna kill us all!" Motohama breathed out in relief.

"Hey, if you can do better, why don't you fly?" Matsuda retorted, as he glared at his friend.

Motohama raised his hands defensively.

"N-n-no way! I don't want to!" Motohama stuttered. "Besides, it's your gift, so you take responsibility for it!"

Matsuda was about to say something else, but Issei stopped them.

"Guys, calm down!" Issei told them both, before turning to Matsuda. "Matsuda, just concentrate on flying, OK?"

Matsuda said nothing and neither did Motohama, but Matsuda decided that Issei was right and focused on the controls.

Motohama just turned to look outside the window. He could see the forest and all the trees becoming smaller and smaller. They were already quite high in the sky. The horizon of the night sky grew larger and larger, stretching out endlessly. The stars were still shining brightly in the night sky, while the clouds passed through them, as they rose higher almost as if they were nothing but a minor decoration in this canopy, known as the sky.

Everybody's nerves had calmed down. They could sit back and enjoy the ride.

Though wait! Matsuda forgot one thing.

"Phoebe?" Matsuda called out.

Phoebe responded immediately. {You called?}

"Yeah, uh… Which way is Tokyo?" he asked sheepishly.

Motohama and Issei almost wanted to comically hit their heads on the ground (like in comedic animes).

"Don't tell me you were going to fly in just any random direction!" Motohama bellowed incredulously.

"Yeah! What if we ended up going over the Pacific? What would we have done if the chopper ran out of gas!?" Issei scolded Matsuda.

"Hey, hey… Calm down guys… I…" Matsuda did his best to reassure his buddies, but then Phoebe gave Matsuda his requested answer.

{Your destination lies 120 km South-South East from your position. For further assistance, please look at your GPS monitor} Phoebe replied monotonously as usual.

Everybody blinked in surprise.

"GPS monitor…?" Matsuda voiced surprised, before checking the cockpit. Sure enough…

"Oh, hehe… I guess there really was a screen…" he laughed nervously upon finding the screen in question with all the necessary data in it. He could see an enlarged map of Japan and Tokyo right at the bottom of the screen (it had Google Maps quality, so the screen could show color). And right now, they were flying towards the Pacific Ocean (as Issei had predicted).

"Well, I guess I'll adjust the flight course…" Matsuda said, as he moved the relevant control sticks.

Nobody said a word until the Boosted Gear appeared on Issei's arm.

 **[*Sigh* Once a foolish pervert, always a foolish pervert…]** Ddraig muttered in everybody's hearing.

"AS THOUGH YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Matsuda shouted in outrage.

Issei pinched his nose in irritation. "You know what? Just… Focus on flying…" he told Matsuda.

Matsuda glared at Issei, then at Ddraig, before turning his face back to the front. He had to fly after all and being distracted was deadly.

"Ddraig, why did you have to say that?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[It's the truth, Partner]** Ddraig replied honestly.

"Yeah… Whatever… It's going to be a long flight… Which is why I'm taking a nap… zzz…" Motohama said, before falling fast asleep.

"I guess he's still pooped out from yesterday…" Issei commented neutrally, as he watched Motohama's peaceful sleeping expression.

"Well… it is still night time. Who can blame him? To be honest, I also would continue sleeping, if I weren't flying. I mean, any normal guy would, right?" Matsuda asked in response.

"Yeah…" Issei said, as he turned his face forward.

Then there was mutual silence. Not even Ddraig spoke.

That silence was interrupted by Matsuda suddenly saying: "Oh, yeah! How did I not think about it? Phoebe?"

{Yes, Captain?} Phoebe asked.

"I want you to switch on auto-pilot. Wake me up when we're there or if something urgent happens," Matsuda instructed Phoebe.

{Yes, Captain. Activating auto-pilot mode} she announced.

"There," Matsuda said with satisfaction, as he took his hands of the controls and kicked back to relax. "Now, I can finally… *snore*…" Just like Motohama before him, he fell asleep instantly.

"Sleepy heads…" Issei murmured to himself.

 **[Indeed, Partner. Indeed]** Ddraig agreed.

Issei sighed, as he looked out the window in boredom. The sight was magnificent.

It was then that Issei remembered something. It was the conversation that he had with Ddraig earlier... about flying.

Was this the view of somebody who could fly? Obviously, yes. But actual flying was different. It wasn't like he was sitting around like this, copped up in the comfort of a helicopter. To know what that feels like… one has to do it by his own power… his own wings… Only then can he feel the wind blowing in the air, the muscles being used to soar…

 **[Is something the matter, Partner?]** Ddraig asked with concern.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Issei asked.

 **[It just seemed like you were thinking about something. That's all]** Ddraig answered.

Issei continued looking out the window.

"Well… It's just… Ddraig?" Issei asked, his gaze not moving away from the night sky.

 **[What is it?]** Ddraig asked.

"One day… I'll be able to get wings, right?" Issei asked his question.

It was then that Ddraig understood. It was about what he had told Issei earlier – about dragonizing his body and getting wings. A difficult task. But Ddraig had a feeling his host would be able to achieve this someday.

Just not now though.

 **[Partner…]** Ddraig spoke, Issei turned his gaze to the Boosted Gear, expecting an answer.

[…]

 **[…someday… Partner. Someday, you will get them…]** Ddraig answered simply.

Issei didn't say anything. He just looked out the window again into the vast night sky. Though Issei wasn't quite satisfied with Ddraig's answer, a small gentle smile crept up his face.

"Thanks, Partner… that means a lot to me…" Issei answered quietly.

[…]

Ddraig didn't say a word. All he gave was a small chuckle and the Boosted Gear was dismissed from Issei's arm.

Issei continued to stare out into the vast sky… just waiting for the morning sun to arise…

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 5:00 am (Japan Standard Time) – somewhere in the mountains of Scandinavia_

Scandinavia. Best known as the region in Northern Europe that encompasses Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland – some of the most prosperous countries in the world in terms of living standard and human development.

However, that is not the only thing Scandinavia was known for. It was also known as the home of Vikings and their gods.

And that included one particular god with long silver hair, wearing a white robe, who was currently in his home deep in the snowy mountains. His name was Loki, the infamous god of mischief, whose ultimate desire is to be the harbinger of Ragnarok.

Indeed, Loki has caused a lot of misery, shame and pain for man, beast and god alike, but he never cared. All that mattered were his own ambitions and desires to do as he pleased. Loki didn't care if his father Odin hated him for it. In fact, ever since it became clear to him that his father favored his brother Thor, Loki lost all love for the both of them.

Now, Loki was working all that was in his power to continue his mischief from his home in the cold, cold mountains, far away from Valhalla and Asgard – the abode of the gods.

As for what Loki was doing at the moment, well… he was relaxing, taking a rest on his reclining couch at a table and enjoying the plate of fruit on it.

A very normal day for him. Well, except for the fact that…

"LOOOOOKKKKKIIIIIIII!"

…a loud angry shout disturbed his leisure time.

Loki nearly jumped up in surprise from where he reclined. He was immediately on his guard and looked to the cave entrance where the voice came from. Sure enough, an angry man in armor and a sword came before him, carrying a golden piglet at the scruff on his neck.

Loki looked at the man and relaxed. He took on a smug look on his face for he recognized the man.

"Why, if it isn't Freyr, the pig-lover…" Loki sneered.

"Spare me your words!" Freyr seethed in anger. "Why did you manipulate Gullinbursti?" he asked, holding out Gullinbursti, who seemed to be trembling from fear because of his master's anger.

"Your pet swine? Oh, please… Why would I ever want to do something like that?" Loki said mockingly.

"I know why, you cur," Freyr spat out. "You tried everything in your power to skew the bet you made with Brokkr in your favor! You deliberately made my familiar go on a rampage so that you would make Brokkr look bad! And if that wasn't bad enough, you had to go out of your way to sabotage the other gifts Brokkr and Eitri made by disguising yourself as a fly – all in order to frustrate their efforts!"

Loki said nothing at first, but then he started to chuckle. This chuckle turned into laughter. Freyr knew that he was being mocked, but he tried his best to keep his cool.

"Interesting accusation… but where's your proof? Do you have anything to back these claims you insinuate?" Loki challenged Freyr derisively.

Freyr didn't answer for a moment. He took a breath, before he spoke.

"I saw those eyes Gullinbursti had. They were red, but not of anger. It was manipulation magic and a very particular kind – that you use!" Freyr accused Loki with a pointed finger.

Loki just snorted. "So? I'm not the only one with that kind of magic. There are many gods and beings that could have done it. It didn't have to be me? Don't go accusing me on such flimsy evidence."

"You are the only one with a motive to inflict harm at Gullinbursti!" Freyr insisted. He then took another deep breath, before speaking. "The stable door to Gullinbursti's door… it was broken down… but not by Gullinbursti. The remnants of the doors were found in on the inside of the stable. Had Gullinbursti had broken out on his own, the remains would have been found on the outside, not the inside. The only way it could have been broken down the way it was, was if somebody had broken it down from the outside."

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "And even if all that is true. So? It could have been anyone, so you have no proof. So, why don't you move along and tend to your own business, instead of making baseless accusations," he said with furrowed eyebrows.

Freyr was furious at Loki's arrogant behavior. However, at the same time he knew that Loki was right. Freyr had no proof for Loki's wrongdoing, despite its plausibility. Issei Hyoudou himself made that very clear when he explained his theory to Freyr.

Freyr knew coming here to accuse Loki of wrongdoing was useless. But accusing him was not the only thing he had in mind.

"You're right," Freyr conceded. "I don't have any proof."

Loki face softened, as he chuckled. "Admitting your defeat so soon?" he gloated.

"Unfortunately. But I did come here for another reason…" Freyr said, his hair shadowing his bangs.

Loki chuckled again. "And what's tha-?"

"GULLINBURSTI GROW!" Freyr shouted, as he suddenly threw the little golden piglet towards Loki.

"BWWWWEEEEEEEE!" Gullinbursti squealed, as he was hurled towards Loki, before growing to maximum size within a split second.

Loki widened his eyes, as he was taken by surprise, Gullinbursti's humungous body flying towards him. Normally, anyone in Loki's situation would find himself easily crushed to death, whether it be because the person in question wasn't strong enough to repel such a large object or because one didn't react fast enough.

Unfortunately for Freyr, Loki had both.

"Fool!" Loki cried, as he quickly sat up and swatted Gullinbursti with his magic, gathered in his hands with ease.

"BWEEEE-!"

[BOOM!]

Gullinbursti hit the cave wall, causing the cave to shake a bit. Loki himself remained unharmed.

"Hmpf!" Loki snorted smugly, as he looked on Gullinbursti's downed form, now small again. "What did you think you were doing? Did you really think…?" Loki wanted to continue, but when he turned to look back at where Freyr was, he was gone.

"What? Where…?" Loki looked around fervently to find his opponent, but just as he looked behind him, he was…

[WHAM!]

"UGH!"

…punched in the face with a straight hook, courtesy of Freyr. The punch caused him to fall off his reclining couch and unto the cold floor.

Loki was dazed for a few seconds, before he managed to find his bearings.

'That insolent bastard! How dare he…?' Loki thought furiously because of what Freyr did to him. He felt his cheek and could feel a bruise forming.

Loki whirled around to glare at Freyr who by now had picked up the injured Gullinbursti and calmly made his way out of Loki's lair. Before Freyr departed, he stopped at the mouth of the cave tunnel, leading to the exit, to address Loki once more.

"Like I said. I don't have any proof. Everything I found out were theories reasoned by a young man named Issei Hyoudou. He was the one who helped me find out about your schemes. Thus, I do not have a case to bring before the gods. But I will tell you this: If I even find the smallest hint that you are engaging in your destructive mischiefs once more and more so cause harm on me, my subjects or my friends… You shall receive a lot worse than this…" Freyr threatened Loki ominously, not even looking back at him.

Loki just seethed in anger. Nobody punched Loki, one of the great Nordic Gods, in the face and get away with it. Nobody!

He readied a magical attack in his hands and was about to blast Freyr from behind.

But Freyr anticipated this and punched the cave wall to his right…

[BROOM!]

…and rubble started to fall from above, causing Loki to redirect his blast towards the incoming rubble.

[KABOOM!]

The debris, broke into multiple tiny pieces that harmlessly fell around him. Seeing that the falling rubble had been dealt with, he turned his face towards Freyr once more.

However, Freyr was already gone.

Loki seethed once more; his leisure time having been completely ruined.

"That blasted pig-head!" Loki cursed loudly.

He did not expect Freyr to find out about his plot so easily. He didn't know how Freyr found out about it all. Well… Freyr **did** tell him about how he found out… but regardless… It shouldn't have been found out so easily. It just… shouldn't have!

Then again… it was obvious for everybody in the Nordic Mythology as to what his motivations were in regards to his bet with Brokkr.

Besides, he would get his revenge on Freyr later… and Brokkr and Eitri, too!

The reason for that was that Loki had other plans he needed attending to. He was planning to work on some of these plans tomorrow.

But for now, because of the bruise on his cheek… he decided to put aside all his plans for today. Right now, avenging this… this **insult** was the first priority for him.

Freyr did say something about a young man called Issei Hyoudou. That sounded Japanese…

It was then that Loki had started the beginnings for his new plan. He walked away, still rubbing his sore cheek in anger.

Issei Hyoudou… Whoever, he was… he was going to have to go to Japan and do some research about him…

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 5:05 am – on the streets of Kuoh_

It was still dark in the city of Kuoh. Most people weren't even up yet, save for those who had to get up early and start working at an early shift. Some such people were bakers or cake-makers, who had to work on the dough for their wares. Other people were dishonest people, like thieves and smugglers, working through the night to do all kinds of illegal things.

And of course, because of that there were the police on patrol to prevent such acts. Currently, there were five such police officers on duty. They were riding in patrol car on the lookout for crime.

Throughout their career, they have done a number of operations, bust-ups, arrests in these early hours, but right now, there was nothing going on. In fact, this was more the norm than the exception. Instead of being bored, the police officers decided to make the most of it. Having gotten used to waking up at 4 am in the morning, it was nice time to show up to work and well… kind of do their own thing.

But for these particular officers on duty, their "doing their own thing" was a more personal affair.

"I can't believe this!" one officer sitting at the back said frustrated. "How can an explosion just happen in a facility like that?"

"Calm down, Usui," another officer said, sitting on the right to his colleague. "I myself can't believe it either, but it did."

"Yeah, but what's weird is that it wasn't an explosion that destroyed the building, but what seemed to be a collapse," another officer sitting to the left of the officer called Usui elaborated.

The other two blinked in surprise. "Really? But I thought…" the Usui spoke.

"Yes, there was an explosion. The reports were correct about that one. But the explosion happened around the facility, not from within," the officer on the left explained.

"How is that possible?" an officer sitting at the front of the van asked.

His colleague just shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. That's just what I heard from the investigators. They said they had evidence from satellite pictures."

The officer sitting in front just nodded.

"Yeah, aside from how it was caused, the bigger question is: Who caused it?" the officer on the seat to the right said.

"Yeah, you've got a point, Ohga," the officer on the left seat at the back stated with a nod. "Though that's not why we are here, right?"

At that, everybody's faces turned serious. Nobody said a word for a while.

The reason for that is because they all knew what they were here for.

To find out about who killed their colleague Yuusuke and all those other dead people found in the remains of the facility. It had not been too long since his body had been found and the pain was still fresh in their souls.

After all, he was a good friend and colleague… an irreplaceable one, too.

Just the day before, they had attended his funeral and helped his grieving brother to carry his coffin to his grave. It was a very somber event.

They carried much grief with them, but also a lot of questions on how Yuusuke and those other people were killed.

According to the forensics report, they didn't die from the explosion or from the collapse of the rubble. Rather, it seemed like they had died well before all that happened. What's more, their bodies were shriveled up – like they had been drained dry.

None of the investigators had any idea on how it happened or who committed the act. That's doubly true for the five officers on patrol.

The whole affair was shady. Too shady. And they knew something was going on, something sinister.

But one thing they knew. They were going to find out. And they had a lead.

Out of all the people that had been found dead, the four facility wardens and their three most recent detainees were not among them. It was like they disappeared.

But they knew better.

According to satellite pictures from the time of the explosion, not only did the investigators find out how the explosion and the collapse of the building happened, but also what else had transpired.

Footage indicated a black helicopter emerging from the ruins and causing the explosion, before leaving the area.

They did not know where the helicopter left, but they would find out about it as soon as the investigators would call them up.

"Boys," the officer on the driver's seat spoke up, getting everybody's attention.

Until now, he had remained quiet, speaking only if necessary. After all, not only was he the oldest among the five officers assembled, but also their superior.

"Yes, sir?" the office named Ohga replied.

"Be patient. A good officer knows when to act. He must not only play by the books, but also hold his emotions in check, unlike that fool Shinpei Ito," the superior officer spat out disdainfully.

Shinpei Ito. The officer that tried to kill those three escaped detainees in question and ended up in a coma because of it. Unlike with Yuusuke, they personally didn't hold much of an opinion of him, since he was newly transferred. But they all agreed that he stepped way over the line in trying to kill the three teens. Sister put in a coma or not, vigilantism was not tolerated in the police force. That was especially true for this particular superior officer, who was Ito's most recent superior officer.

"Anyway, the boys investigating told me that the results of their research will come out first thing in the morning at 8 am. So be patient. In the meantime," the superior officer said, as he reached for his pants pocket. Out of it, he took a packet of cigarettes.

"Want some?" he offered his men.

The officers nodded eagerly and accepted.

""""Yes, Kuraido-san,"""" all of the officers responded in unison.

Officer Kuraido gave a light smile.

Despite all the ups and downs of his career, he was glad to be in this team.

He wouldn't have wanted it any different.

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 5:21 am – with Matsuda's and Motohama's parents_

Since yesterday, Mr. Hibiki and Mr. Todoriki had received the news that the Sakabasu Detention Facility, in which their sons were held had exploded. When they heard it they were shocked to the core, followed by worry. Were their sons alive? If they weren't would their bodies be recovered?

They peppered the police anxiously with questions, but the police told them that however hard they had tried to look for them – it was all for naught. Neither they, nor their friend Issei, could be found anywhere.

When their wives heard of this, they fretted and cried relentlessly for they were their only son. They all went on to go to bed because of how devastating the news was.

However, sweet rest was not granted to them. Instead, they currently lying awake, consumed with worry. However, both Mr. Todoriki and Mr. Hibiki knew that today was another day and that their lives went on. Worrying about it all wouldn't help them.

That didn't mean though that wouldn't meet again once in a while. In fact, that is what they had been doing for the past few weeks. They even planned to do that today, now that it was Sunday. Strange how tragedies bring people together that normally would have never had anything to do with each other.

But it did.

Just like their sons, both fathers and mothers had gotten to know each other a lot better. Their lives, their hobbies, their plans, their… children… their grief… so much…

Again, worrying wouldn't do them much. All they could do was wait and see…

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 5:24 am – with the devils of Kuoh_

Rias was sleeping in bed peacefully in her red negligee when her cell phone started to ring. She stirred upon hearing the annoying ringing tone to the melody of the opening of "Super Gals" (that didn't mean she didn't like it though; in fact, she actually did or else she wouldn't have set it as a ringtone).

She took it grouchily and pressed the dial key to receive the call.

"Yes…" Rias said groggily.

"Rias? I'm glad you're awake," the caller replied.

"Awake? Sona, I was in the middle of my sleep and you had to call me?" Rias said irritated, as she used her free hand to move her ruffled bangs away from her face. "Besides, it's Sunday. Can't this wait until later?"

"I'm sorry, Rias. I really didn't want to disturb you," Sona apologized. "But I have some news, news you might be interested in."

At this, Rias raised an eyebrow. "News? What could possibly be so important that it had to disturb my sleep?" she asked.

"It's this: Freyr, the god of the Nordic Mythology from yesterday contacted me just a few minutes ago. He said he found his lost familiar and has taken him home," Sona revealed.

This irked Rias. "You think this is news worth disturbing my rest? How could you possibly think this way?" she demanded angrily from Sona. However, Sona was not done yet.

"Wait. There's more. He said that the only reason he managed to find his boar was because somebody else was fighting it. When he got there, he managed to get there before his boar killed somebody. Guess what Freyr told me about what he found out about him," Sona asked of Rias.

Rias wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. What was Sona going to tell her that would be so important? She decided to beckon Sona to tell her.

"And? What did he say?" Rias asked.

"He told me that the person who had fought against his familiar was the current Red Dragon Emperor," Sona revealed.

Rias reacted in shock. "The… The Sekiryuutei? One of the god-tier Lonignus?" she let out with an incredulous voice.

"That's right," Sona said with a nod from her end of the line.

Rias sat up immediately, all fatigue having now disappeared.

"Sona. This is serious news. I need to tell my brother…" she wanted to ramble, but Sona stopped her.

"Wait. There's something else. We even have a name," Sona added quickly.

"A name? Whose name?" Rias asked hastily.

"The current of the Red Dragon Emperor," Sona answered.

"Well, who is it?" Rias demanded.

"Well, according to Freyr he said his name was Issei Hyoudou," Sona revealed to Rias.

Rias put her hand on her forehead, as a way to help her concentrate. Issei Hyoudou? Where had she heard that name before…?

"Sona, for some reason that name seems familiar, but where have I heard that name before…?" Rias asked Sona.

"Issei Hyoudou was the first-year student who several weeks ago had started a brawl with his two friends and gotten himself arrested. Remember?" Sona reminded Rias.

Rias widened her eyes. "Oh, yes! Now I remember!" she exclaimed, as she remembered the face of that brown-haired pervert. He was part of the Perverted Trio, if memory serves her correctly. "I knew I felt a Sacred Gear in him, but I didn't know it was the Boosted Gear out of all things. But wait… does that mean he was the one who escaped that mysterious prison yesterday? And how did he get a helicopter?" Rias' head was filled with questions after questions.

"I don't know," Sona admitted. "What I do know is that his buddies, Matsuda Hibiki and Motohama Todoriki, were also there with him, meaning that however Hyoudou managed to get a helicopter and escape from prison…"

"…that his two friends were also involved in this somehow…" Rias completed the thought for Sona.

For a moment, there was silence between the two of them.

"I should get Akeno, Rias and Koneko. Sona, where did Freyr meet them?" Rias asked, as she stood up ready to get dressed.

"What? Wait a minute, Rias. I don't think going on your own is a good idea – especially because of last time," Sona put the brakes on Rias' plans.

"But if we delay now, we might never be able to catch them," Rias argued.

"First of all, that happened yesterday night. Wherever it was when Freyr met them, they certainly won't be there now," Sona told Rias.

"Well, their helicopter was shot down so they couldn't have gotten far," Rias argued back.

"And that's just the other problem. I and my peerage should come with you, so that incident like last time **never** happens again," Sona answered sternly.

Rias tried to find an argument against that, but then decided to let it go, as she sighed.

"Fine… Should we get going?" Rias asked her friendly rival.

"Yes, give me some time so that I can gather the others. We don't know how strong the Red Dragon Emperor is and we need to come prepared. You should do the same, too," Sona replied.

"Yes, yes… See you soon," Rias finished her call and put down her phone.

Her face was beaming and her heart was beating from excitement. She didn't like to be disturbed from her sleep, but the news she heard made it worth it.

"Ara, ara… Rias. You look happy. Ufufufu…" Akeno said, as she popped her head inside Rias' room.

"Akeno. Good morning. Call the others. We have important business to attend to," Rias told her queen.

"All right. If you say so. What is this business going to be about?" Akeno asked.

"Well, first we'll meet with Sona and her peerage and… you'll find out then, but first things first," Rias answered.

"Yes, Rias," Akeno answered, before leaving.

Rias went to get dressed, humming happily, while doing so.

The Red Dragon Emperor… she didn't know much about how strong Issei Hyoudou was, but surely he wasn't that strong, right? Furthermore, she knew that Issei Hyoudou, being a member of the Perverted Trio, was obsessed with girls and boobs. Therefore, that meant that she knew how to get him into her peerage without fail.

Oh, yes…

With her feminine charms…

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 5:29 am – back with the Perverted Quartet_

The morning sun was already appearing in the horizon, its rays illuminating the morning sky with a beautiful gold and red. Below the Chopping Board Type 2 were clouds, spanning as far as the eye can see and reflecting the golden glow of the early morning sun.

Matsuda smiled dreamily and took in the sight. To him, it felt like they were in a different world and they were its first explorers. The scenery felt to Matsuda, like he was flying through heaven or the beginnings of it. Who knows? Perhaps, this was the case, since the supernatural existed and all.

Was this what pilots felt like every time they flew?

{Attention. You have arrived at your destination – Tokyo. Do you wish to end autopilot, Captain?} Phoebe's A. I. voice announced.

Matsuda was shaken out of his thoughts. Duty called him after all.

"Yes. Deactivate autopilot," Matsuda said, as he took control once more.

{Understood. Deactivating autopilot} Phoebe announced.

Matsuda decided to fly lower. That was when Issei and Motohama awoke.

"Waaaaah…" Motohama yawned. "Are we there yet?"

"Yeah, are we? Because it seems like we're flying lower…" Issei said tiredly.

"Well, duh!" Matsuda replied. "Why else would I fly lower?"

Nobody said anything. Instead, everybody looked out of the window to see clouds passing by the helicopter, while they descended.

After a minute or so, they were finally underneath the mass of clouds and saw…

…masses of skyscrapers and other buildings as far as the eye could see.

Just from the first glance, they could make out several buildings, such as the Tokyo Skytree, the second tallest building in the world at 634 meters. Other buildings, they recognized were… the Tokyo Tower with its distinct red and white coloring… the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building... and some others…

They could also see the bay to the city of Tokyo, stretching out towards the Pacific Ocean in the distance… the famous Fuji-san as well with its snowy peaks…

The city itself was dark and quiet, but even at five in the morning there was still a lot of activity going on in this world metropolis. They could even see the trains running, ready to transport the tens of millions of people to work.

So, this… this is where they'll be living from now on… This is where their adventure would go on…

Matsuda, Issei and Motohama were sure of it. This was going to be the best moments of their lives. They couldn't wait to land and get to their new apartment.

"Boys," Matsuda told Motohama and Issei. "Here we are, right above the famous metropolis of Tokyo."

"Well, duh! We can see that ourselves…" Motohama replied with a deadpanned expression.

"…That is unless Phoebe is suffering a malfunction and we really are in Kyoto for some reason…" Issei joked.

"Shut up, man…" Matsuda retorted, but remained in a good mood. "Anyway, I think we should find a place to land somewhere…"

"Aren't we going to land in Nerima?" Motohama asked.

"No way! Too risky!" Issei exclaimed. "Even though it's still early in the morning, we can't afford to be seen coming down on a friggin' helicopter right in the middle of town. Have you forgotten what I said last night about it?"

Motohama ignored the question and asked another one. "Then what are you suggesting we do?"

"We fly around, find some place to land with no one else but us present and then make our way there on foot," Issei explained, before he turned to Matsuda. "Isn't that right, Matsuda?"

Matsuda nodded and then proceeded to ask Phoebe. "Phoebe. Where is the best place to land with little to no people near Tokyo?"

{Calculating population density... searching landing spaces at near Tokyo…} Phoebe, the A. I. said.

Everybody waited, while the helicopter's A. I. to process the request. Then Phoebe answered.

{Head West for Saiko Doman Green Park near Saitama for some eight kilometers. Do so by turning right} Phoebe instructed Matsuda.

"You got it!" Matsuda said, as he made the helicopter turn right.

From there on out, it flew straight forward, slowly lowering its altitude. On the way, they saw a river, stretching itself endlessly towards the Northwest and on its way, they could see a lush green area with a lake in it.

That had to be the destination.

"Boys, get ready to land. We're gonna land in a few minutes," Matsuda announced.

"Yeah… we know…" Issei answered with a bit of worry on his face.

"Just… land safely, OK?" Motohama asked of Matsuda, being a bit pale in the face.

"Yeesh, guys… It's going to be OK! It's not like the chopper has been shot down or anything…" Matsuda tried to assuage their fears.

"I know, but still…" Motohama said, still unconvinced.

"Me, too… I just wish I could fly and get over with it…" Issei sighed nervously.

Matsuda's eyes twitched at their lack of faith in him. He turned to look at them.

"If your faith in me is this low… Why not just jump out of the chopper while you're at it!?" Matsuda shouted at them.

"What are you crazy?" Motohama asked incredulously at the suggestion.

"Do you want us die or something?" Issei asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, or…" Motohama wanted to say something, but then stopped himself when he had an idea.

"Wait a minute… That's it!" Motohama exclaimed.

"What jumping out?" Issei asked confused.

"No. The parachutes. There are some on the helicopter, right?" Motohama asked, as he looked behind him where the objects in question were.

"Yeah, but why…? Oh…" Issei said, finally understanding what Motohama was getting at.

"Yeah, good idea, right?" Motohama said to Issei. "That way we don't have to die a tragic death via a helicopter crash because of amateurish flying by a newbie."

"What did you just call me!?" Matsuda cried out in outrage.

"You heard me, bro!" Motohama retorted defiantly. "Now, gimme those things," he turned his face to the back.

Motohama wanted to reach for the chutes at the back, but Issei stopped him.

"Dude, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Issei said to Motohama.

"What? But I thought you agreed with me!" Motohama stated in shock.

"I never said that. Besides, you don't even know how to use, so how do you know if it's even going to work out for you?" Issei questioned Motohama.

Motohama wanted to say something, but realized… he didn't have an answer to that.

"And also. What if you land on some building in the middle of the public? You'll get everybody's attention on you and you'll be taken to the police station in no time," Issei rebuked Motohama.

"Yeah… you're right…" Motohama said, visibly deflated.

Issei put his hand on Motohama's shoulder. "Besides, let's give Motohama the chance to prove himself. After all, he is our best bet to landing safely."

"Yeah, I guess…" Motohama sighed, as he agreed to Issei with reluctance.

 **[Pffffff… Maybe the parachutes have holes in them and then you would be red spot of blood on the floor… pfffff…. Hihihi…]** Ddraig spoke up out of nowhere, trying to hold in his laughter.

"OH, SHUT UP YOU FREAKY REPTILIAN!" Motohama yelled at Ddraig angrily.

"Guys, will you calm down! I'm trying my best to land here and right now none of you are making things easier for me! So… Shut… UP!" the irritated Matsuda shouted at the lot to be quiet.

Everybody complied. None spoke. After Matsuda calmed himself down and made the helicopter fly to the designated area.

Nobody said a word, except Ddraig, who was still complaining.

 **[A freaky reptilian? Grumble… grumble… How dare you insult me like that? Grumble… grumble…]** Ddraig mumbled to himself.

The sun was rising further, illuminating the morning sky even more and causing the Bay of Tokyo to glitter majestically.

Even though all four of them had been squabbling a few moments ago, it was all forgotten like a fleeting memory because of the beautiful view of the city. They realized… they should do this more often every once in a while…

While the helicopter flew overhead of the inhabitants of Tokyo and the surrounding areas, the salarymen who awoke earliest were already on their way to work, going to wherever they work. One person who happened to awake at that time, however, was not a salaryman.

That particular person merely looked up into the sky at the Chopping Board Type 2 and smiled.

"Welcome to Tokyo, boys…" he said mysteriously.

* * *

 **And that was the Epilogue to this arc.**

 **Again, I apologize for the delay and I hope it won't happen again.**

 **Anyway, about the chapter…**

 **You can see that Freyr has confronted Loki and given him a well-deserved punch. Loki will pay a bigger role much later in the story, but I'm still in the planning process on how to do it.**

 **The police officers in this chapter will also have an arc involving them. They will be the ones to hunt the Chopping Board Type 2 in the future. Arc coming soon…**

 **Speaking of the Chopping Board Type 2… I was hoping that instead of Matsuda just relying on his controller to fly it, he should also learn to fly it like any normal helicopter. I thought it would be good training for him. There also a whole lot of other functions that he will have to get used to. Practicing sessions will also come soon…**

 **As for Matsuda's and Motohama's parents, don't worry. They won't be left in the dark forever. I'll be planning something with them, too.**

 **Finally, the devils of Kuoh know about Issei being the wielder of the Boosted Gear. And you can bet that they, too, will come across our heroes sooner or later.**

 **As you can see, the perverted trio have a lot on their plate. In addition to all the beforementioned parties, how will this turn out?**

 **Will Loki find them and kill them?**

 **Will the police find out the truth of the matter regarding the Succubus Arc and the perverted trio? And if they find them, will the three boys be arrested and put to jail once more?**

 **What will happen once devils get to them? Will they recruit them like they do with many other Sacred Gear holders?**

 **What is going to happen Matsuda's and Motohama's parents?**

 **So many questions that I can't answer yet. You will find out soon.**

 **Yes, I say that a lot, but that is all I can say… for now.**

 **How did you like the Gullinbursti Arc? I would like to hear from you.**

 **Please read and review.**

 **I hope to see you soon.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	31. Chapter 23 - Settling in

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **Sorry for the long delay. A lot of things have been happening lately.**

 **What keeps me especially busy is the fact that my training as an office administration clerk is coming to an end and I have to prepare for the future.**

 **But I managed to finish this chapter, so please enjoy.**

 **This chapter is a transition chapter, focusing on how our heroes arrive in Tokyo.**

 **So, pardon me, if this chapter fails to be exciting.**

 **Anyway, let's see how Matsuda, Motohama and Issei start their lives in Tokyo with…**

Chapter 23 – Settling in

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 6:03 am – Saiko Doman Green Park_

It wasn't easy for Matsuda to land the Chopping Board Type 2. He realized finding an ideal spot to land when it still rather dark was not easy. He had to make sure the area he landed on was even ground.

In the end, he succeeded in finding such a landing area, more specifically a parking lot right next to a pond. His landing wasn't as smooth as it was intended to be. They landed with a small thump, causing the chopper's passengers to get thrown off balance by the impact. Motohama and Issei had lots to complain about the landing, though Matsuda defended himself saying he was still learning. He also said they should be grateful, considering that the last landing was basically a helicopter crash.

After the squabble had ended, they got out of the chopper, took their belongings (the two boar furs and Motohama's seax), shrunk the chopper to its smallest size and made their way out of the park.

The park was empty, without anybody to witness the otherwise impossible feat of shrinking a helicopter. That was a good thing. The less people, the less likely someone is going to ask them awkward questions.

They didn't know which direction to go, but with the help of Phoebe (she could even function with the Chopping Board Type 2 at this size) they could find their apartment. It turned out that Phoebe had the location stored in her memory. With the now shrunken down chopper, they could use its navigation functions to find it.

Monika really thought of everything.

Furthermore, according to Phoebe the helicopter's navigation functions would work better, if it was allowed to fly high up into the sky. That is why the chopper was currently out of view, unless one looked focused hard on finding it in the sky, which no one would do anyway.

This came in handy for two reasons: One, less awkward questions, if nobody could find the Chopping Board type 2. Two, the miniature helicopter could serve as a local GPS without having to rely on satellites, making the chopper and our heroes practically untraceable.

While they were on their way, they figured they might as well enjoy the view.

Saiko Daimon Green Park – quite a nice place, they had to admit. It probably served as a recreational area, meant for picnics and a variety of outdoor activities. The view towards Aya Lake was fantastic. The water sparkled in the rising morning sun, as the beauty of the place started to show. The three boys came to realize that the lake itself was rather longish, for the length of the shore they walked alongside of seemed to be… far longer than the distance between their side and the opposite side of the lake. This was further more confirmed by the existence of the highway bridge over the lake, stretching to the Northeast and onwards.

And the weather wasn't too bad either, despite the fact that it's nearing autumn, so that's a plus.

Anyway, as the three boys made their way towards the city, they were chatting lively about a certain topic…

"When I get to Akihabara, I'm going to buy the newest Hentai Moon game. As far as I'm concerned, that game out last week and now I'm going to get it!" Matsuda spoke, as he rubbed his hands in glee.

…which is porn… of course…

"Why that game? I heard that game had glitches. Test gamers were giving it negative reviews and as far as I'm concerned nothing has been done to correct it so far. Why not "Catty Cat Sex – The Game?" Motohama suggested up, metaphorically pouring cold water on Matsuda's dreams.

"Oh, yeah?" Matsuda raised an eyebrow at that. "And how would you know about that?" he asked.

"I read about it on the internet the day before the police hauled us off to jail," Motohama answered.

"Well…" Matsuda reasoned, as he looked for an answer. "They probably must have fixed the glitch by now."

Motohama noticed how weird his friend was behaving and decided to question him.

"Dude. Why are you so intent on getting that game? There so many other better games. Why are so insistent on Hentai Moon?" Motohama pressed Matsuda.

"Well… uhh…" Matsuda struggled to find for a reply.

"Hmmm?" Motohama interjected, as he eyed him sharply.

That was when Matsuda stopped and raised his arms in exasperation.

"All right! It's because there is flexibility fan service. That's why!" Matsuda exclaimed frustrated.

"Oh… so that's why… It's all about that weird flexibility fetish you have…" Motohama called him out with a smirk.

Matsuda glared back defensively. "So? I like flexible athletic girls! And it's still better than the fetish you have!"

Motohama's glee turned to shock, before turning to a glare as well.

"Don't you say it…" Motohama threatened Matsuda.

"Oh, yes… Your fetish is…" Matsuda wanted to say the answer, but Issei, wanting to prevent an escalation, cut in.

"Guys, knock it off!" Issei silenced them, getting the two of them to stop glaring at each other and look to Issei instead with surprised looks. "As excited as I am about visiting Akihabara. There is one problem… no two… no **three** problems! There are **three** problems!" Issei held up three fingers.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei in confusion.

"And what are those?" Matsuda asked.

"Yeah, what problems?" Motohama wondered.

Issei sighed, as he showed one finger, signifying the first problem.

"One, in order for a game to work, glitches or not, you need to have a console," Issei told them.

And that is when Matsuda and Motohama understood.

"Oh… right… I forgot…" Matsuda said, as he realized his mistake.

"Yeah. Can't play a game without a console… I guess we have to buy one while we're there…" Motohama reasoned. But Issei wasn't done yet.

"And that is our second problem. How are we supposed to buy games? Do you guys have any money? I know I don't!" Issei pointed out the second problem.

This time Matsuda and Motohama felt like they were complete morons.

"Agh!" Matsuda cried out, as he slapped his forehead in realization. "Of course! We're completely broke!"

"Yeah! Forget about buying games! We've got more important things to worry about!" Motohama added.

"Exactly," Issei said with a nod. "And that leads me to my final problem. We need to get our lives in Tokyo in order, before we do anything free-time related."

"Well, but that's already taken care of, right? Didn't Monika say she arranged that apartment for us?" Matsuda reminded Issei.

"Yup. And that's probably the only reason why things are going to get better ultimately. But first, we have to get there. No lollygagging. We're heading straight to the apartment in Nerima," Issei laid out the plan for them all.

Matsuda and Motohama clicked their tongues in annoyance at Issei's tone.

"Yeesh! You don't have to be such stick in the butthole!" Motohama complained.

"Agreed. You're getting as bossy as Ddraig," Matsuda remarked, before resuming the journey.

Motohama followed right after that. Issei, on the other hand, remained standing where he was as he tried to take in that last statement.

"Bossy as Ddraig?" Issei asked himself, talking to no one in particular.

Yet, Ddraig decided to speak anyway.

 **[Grumble… Grumble… Bossy? Grumble… Grumble… Me? Grumble… Grumble…Idiots…]** Ddraig murmured, fully audible to Issei's ears.

Issei ignored his ramblings and decided to resume walking as well, trailing behind Matsuda and Motohama.

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 6:16 am – Shimosasame, at the banks of the Arakawa River_

After several minutes of walking, they finally reached the end of the lake. However, what followed was a relatively narrow strip of water. That strip of water led into a wider strip of water that was flowing eastwards. They realized that the lake from before was connected to a river.

And if they guessed correctly…

"…this must be the Arakawa River," Issei deduced.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I don't know of any other big river that flows through Metropolitan Tokyo," Matsuda agreed.

"Yup, I agree. As far as I'm concerned, no other river fits the bill," Motohama deduced.

The three of them stood there, just waiting.

Just waiting.

[…]

"So… how long to the nearest bridge?" Motohama spoke up to break the awkward silence.

Matsuda looked at his friend, as if he were an idiot. "Are you blind? There's one over there!" he pointed at a bridge not too far away from them, leading over the bridge.

"That's a highway, dork! I meant one for pedestrians!" Motohama rebuked Matsuda.

Matsuda was taken aback by the response. Right… he hadn't thought of it…

"Say, Matsuda. Can you tell Phoebe to tell us where the nearest bridge is?" Issei asked his friend.

Matsuda, deciding to distract himself from the awkward mistake he made, took the controller from his pocket and called the miniature Chopping Board Type 2 from his wristwatch.

"Phoebe. How far is the nearest bridge from our position?" Matsuda asked Phoebe, holding the wristwatch to his lips.

{About three kilometers East from your position} Phoebe replied.

"*Sigh* This is going to be a long walk, isn't it?" Motohama groaned after hearing Phoebe's reply.

"Unfortunately, it's not like we can just walk on water…" Matsuda said in resignation, as he prepared to move.

"Wait, guys!" Issei suddenly spoke up, holding his arm up.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Matsuda asked Issei.

"Maybe, we can walk on water…" Issei answered, much to Matsuda's and Motohama's disbelief at what they were hearing.

They broke out in laughter.

"Wahahaha! Walk on water!? What? Does Ddraig have Jesus-like powers or something?" Matsuda mocked.

"Ahahaha… Are you for real? Ahahaha…" Motohama laughed hysterically.

Issei was miffed at their mockery and decided to show them that they were wrong.

"No, by freezing the water…" Issei said with a frown.

The two of them stopped laughing.

"Freezing?" Motohama blinked in surprise. "But… Ddraig is a fire-type, isn't he?"

"Yeah, how do you want to…?" Matsuda asked next, but Issei answered him, before he finished his question.

"Through Freyr's ice orb. Remember?" Issei reminded them.

The two of them blinked again, before finally getting it.

"Ohhh… I get it…" Matsuda said.

Issei nodded and walked to the edge of the river. "Exactly, so let's try it out…" Issei said with determination in his voice.

 **[Boosted Gear!]** Issei summoned the Boosted Gear and put it right over the surface of the water.

"Ddraig? What do I do?" Issei consulted with Ddraig.

 **[First, focus on the ice orb, and then focus on what you want to achieve]** Ddraig answered.

"You know, Ddraig, by the way you put it, it sounds like as if all you need to do to achieve things is to will for it…" Issei remarked.

 **[The desired goal must be within the abilities and functions of the tool; only then can you achieve things. For the ice-orb, the only thing you can do with it is cooling things down or freezing them, just as an axe is only good for chopping things up]** Ddraig explained.

Issei nodded in understanding at what Ddraig said. "Good point…" he remarked, before closing his eyes and focusing.

Nothing happened in the first few seconds… Then, Matsuda and Motohama noticed the water around Issei's gauntleted hand slowly freezing.

Issei opened his eyes and marveled in surprise. "Whoa! It's working!" Issei exclaimed.

However, the freezing stopped and the newly formed ice draft, flowed away from him.

 **[Partner, focus! If you stop now, the freezing process will stop. Keep in mind that you need a lot of patience and concentration to freeze the river]** Ddraig advised Issei.

Issei looked discouraged. This was going to be harder than he thought it would be.

Ddraig sighed. He knew that Issei merely wanted to freeze the river and cross it, but the boy also had to learn patience and discipline.

For now, it was good that Issei understood the skill gap needed to reach the desired level of competence. And he had just the exercise for him.

 **[Partner, why not boost yourself and then focus on freezing the river]** Ddraig suggested.

Issei widened his eyes. Of course, why didn't he think of it?

Issei readied himself again and focused again.

 **[Boost!]**

The water around Issei's hand froze and spread, this time over a much bigger area, at a diameter of one meter.

"Whoa! Doing great!" Matsuda gave Issei a thumbs-up from the sidelines

Issei smiled, but decided not to get too distracted.

 **[Boost!]**

The ice spread faster and the ice got thicker. This time the ice had covered a diameter of three meters.

"Look at that! He's actually doing it!" Motohama said with excitement at what is happening.

Issei remained focused. He knew that he couldn't stop now or else his efforts would be in vain.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei didn't know how much of the river had been frozen, but he kept on going.

"Um… Issei?" Motohama spoke up, but Issei paid him no heed.

He just focused on freezing the water.

"Issei?" Matsuda spoke up, too.

Again, Issei paid no heed and continued focusing.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang for a fourth time.

 **[Partner, that's enough!]** Ddraig called out, finally getting Issei to stop what he was doing.

"Wh-what…?" Issei asked Ddraig what the matter was.

 **[Look at the river]** Ddraig pointed out.

Issei looked… and what he saw greatly surprised him.

Not only had Issei frozen the river from one bank to the other, but he froze it in such a way that it had spread about 20 meters to the side as well. The ice was even encroaching on the land, too, turning the riverside into a scene that resembled a frozen wasteland. What's more, when Matsuda knocked on the ice for good measure, they were sure. The ice was thick enough for them to walk upon.

"You did it…" Matsuda said to Issei without turning back, clearly in disbelief upon felling the frozen river.

Motohama whistled impressed. "Ohh… nice…" he said with satisfaction.

 **[Reset!]**

Issei's power drained from him, as his strength turned back to normal.

"Man, that was one heck of a workout…" Issei said, as he panted for air. Granted, this was not as tough as fighting a huge boar, but any effort to boost multiple times was hard for Issei – physically and psychologically.

 **[But it was good practice, Partner]** Ddraig said to Issei. **[Keep this up and you might use the power of the ice orb to its fullest advantage.]**

Issei nodded. Another step forward in using his abilities. This was great.

And just like he took a step forward metaphorically, he did so physically after standing up. Issei gently put his foot on the frozen river to be sure… and then walked over it. Matsuda and Motohama followed suit, heading towards their destination.

The frozen portion of the river that they left behind would remain there for the next two days, before it thawed. Until then, baffled locals were wondering how the ice got there. This would later go on to make headlines in the local news… With speculations going on from a powerful refrigerator being there for a long time or some mysterious ice machine having been created and then tested out… or even aliens causing this to happen.

Or perhaps supernatural beings caused this to happen.

Not that the perverted quartet cared anyway…

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 6:43 am – Nerima Ward_

The three boys had crossed over the Shingashi river (through a bridge this time) into the town of Wako. A really nice place, they had to admit. Nice, buildings, parks, temples, shrines and so on. They even found some nice stores, but had to refrain themselves from going in because of their lack of money. Resisting this temptation was especially bad, given that by then…

…they were hungry…

…and thirsty, too…

But they held it in. All in order to get to their desired destination, which was at least two kilometers from where they were.

After much walking and endurance…

"Welcome to Nerima…" Motohama read the words of the sign out loud.

"We're here!" Matsuda whooped.

"Yeah…" Issei said, as he took a look at the city.

They have heard a lot of things from Nerima, such as the fact that it was a nice place to live in or that the prices weren't as high in some places even in Kuoh (a much smaller town). They had also read Ranma ½ when they were young and long had the idea that it was a crazy place full of whacky characters (including overpowered martial artists).

Of course, they were older now, so they no longer believed these stereotypes… Whatever the case… they were going to find out.

First, they had to figure just how long it will take to get to their apartment… As far as they were concerned, it was near some café called "Neko Neko" and Sophia University. They have to keep an eye on these places, if they were to look for the apartment.

Which is why having a navigation A. I. was really advantageous.

"Yo, Matsuda. Ask your girl just how far this apartment is from here," Issei requested of Matsuda, throwing a light jest in to it.

Matsuda frowned at that. "My girl…?" he asked a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, Phoebe obviously serves you well. Listens to your every command. And given that we're all single, you might as well…" Issei halted his joking, when Matsuda gave Issei a menacing look.

Matsuda took a step forward, while Issei withered back. Motohama wanted to go between them, but didn't dare to do it.

"Don't… And I mean don't… remind me that Natsuki is gone… Clear?" Matsuda said with a low and dangerous voice.

"C-clear…" Issei said visibly intimidated.

Seeing that Issei got it, Matsuda moved on, leaving behind a stunned Issei and Motohama.

"Oh… Guess he still hasn't gotten over that, huh?" Issei remarked, as he looked at Matsuda from behind.

"Then again, now that he mentioned it… I haven't really gotten over the fact that… well… you know…" Motohama said, not wanting to say what he was pointing at.

Issei just nodded. It was obvious what he was talking about.

"Truth be told… it's the same here…" Issei said, as he sobered up.

Both of them looked down in silence. It was strange really… The three of them had girlfriends just yesterday and now… they were gone... And for what? Because of their circumstances that didn't allow them to remain.

Issei and Motohama sighed.

While they were on that subject, Issei wondered about something. How were the Sayori and the other girls doing anyway? Had they found a world for them to live in? Or were they still looking… travelling around in that magical boat of theirs.

Either way, they would never be able to hear from them again…

"OH, CRUD! WHY?" Matsuda cursed from the distance.

Issei and Motohama perked up and looked, as they saw Matsuda cause a scene.

They could see Matsuda turn around.

"HEY, GUYS! PHOEBE TOLD ME THAT IT TAKES ANOTHER 5 KILOMETERS TO GET TO THE APARTMENT! GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE OR I'LL LEAVE YOU BEHIND!" Matsuda called out from the distance, before resuming his journey.

Issei and Motohama looked at each other, before nonverbally coming to an agreement and run.

Whatever their thoughts about their girlfriends, that could wait. For now, they needed to get to their destination – Monika's apartment. They rushed past streets and stores and some other sites, before finally catching up to Matsuda… but they didn't stop running.

Seeing his friends run, Matsuda gave chase. He was still brooding about Natsuki, but was shaken out of his thoughts by his two buddies running past him. That was when he… no, they all remembered, as they ran to their destination.

"…I know you may be crying right now that we're gone, but please… What I want is for you to be happy… so please don't cry…"

Sayori…

"Yes, that counts for the other two as well…Even though we may not be here bodily. We are with you in spirit…"

Yuri…

"So, please… for our sakes… don't cry… suck those tears up and look forward!"

Natsuki…

"Yes, I know it's hard for you. It's also hard for us to let you go. But when we say goodbye, at least we don't want it to end in tears… but with joyfulness… and a bright smile, knowing that we all are fine and are off… to a better life."

"""MONIKAAAAA!""" the three of them shouted, as they ran like their lives depended on it.

They ran past houses, traffic lights, restaurants, buildings and other sights that would normally have piqued their interest. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were running, as if their golden opportunity Monika and the other girls had given them would slip past their fingers.

Yes… the apartment… **their** apartment…

Their ticket to start a new life…

All the girls told them to stop crying and instead be happy…

And that was what they were going to do.

Besides, the sooner they got to the apartment, the less they have to suffer walking around hungry, thirsty and broke.

The three of them mutually agreed to a match to see who would get there the fastest. There would be no problems with getting lost, since Phoebe could tell them where to go and so far, she told them to go straight for the next few kilometers.

And thus, they hurried, ready to receive their girlfriends' gifts with open arms and-

[WHAM!]

"WAGH!?" "ARGH!" "UGH!"

Before they knew what was happening, somebody ran into them with full speed from the right. He collided into them and causing all of them to fall to the ground.

As they tried to get their bearings together and were able to make out a young man around their age, wearing a blue Mao-suit and a pony-tail.

Their vision was still kind of blurry, but they could see the young man look them in the face for just a moment,

"Sorry, ya guys!" he apologized to our heroes, before he looked in a certain direction and hastily scrambled to get away. The Mao-suit wearing youth continued to run his path down the street to the left of where the trio wanted to go.

"Wh-What was that…?" Motohama said groggily, as he tried to get up.

"Bastard… I hope he didn't break any bones or something…" Matsuda cursed.

"Man, that was dangerous… I could have sworn we would have been killed…" Issei held his head in pain.

But before anybody could do or say anything more…

"SANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!"

[WHAM!]

"AGH!" "UGH!" "HIDEBU!"

Once again, they were knocked to the ground – this time by another guy, wearing a bandana and wearing a tank-top, army camouflage pants and army boots.

Unlike the other guy, that person did not let himself get knocked to the ground, but continued on his pursuit. Unlike the pig-tailed boy before him, this person treated the three boys as if they were nothing but air (or should I say concrete).

Again, the three boys stirred up groggily, more mangled than before.

"What… a… piece… of… s***!" Matsuda cursed, as he watched the bandana-wearing boy run down the street.

"Yeah, f*** that guy…" Motohama agreed, as tried to get up once again, his movements shakier than before.

Issei grunted in agreement. But, as he slowly got to his feet, he couldn't help but wonder. Something about those two boys seemed familiar, like they came out of a manga that he read in his childhood. He felt like he talked about it earlier. What was it again?

Issei decided to disregard for a moment and get up from the ground.

"Ugh… First, that… Chinese-outfit wearing guy… and now this… juggernaut… Could it possibly get any worse…?" Issei muttered to both himself and Matsuda and Motohama, forgetting the one important thing about saying this particular sentence.

Never say it or fate will prove itself to you.

Matsuda and Motohama remembered this particular rule and quickly admonished Issei.

"Issei! Don't ever say that again!" Matsuda exclaimed warningly, causing Issei to give him a surprised look.

"Yeah! Whenever you say that. Things will get worse! Remember back in Kuoh Academy when we were doing clean-up duty?" Motohama reminded Issei.

Recovering from his surprise, Issei tried to shrug off their warnings.

"Guys, come on! What could possibly happen?" Issei asked them rhetorically.

Not a moment sooner did Issei say this that the three boys heard the rumbling of feet heading their way. They looked and then widened their eyes, for there came a great throng of people rushing in the direction of the two boys from earlier – and the perverted trio was still on the road!

"""OH, F*** NO!""" the three of them screamed in horror at the incoming throng.

They tried to avoid the mass of people, but it was no use. All three of them were mercilessly trampled by the masses of quirky people.

The mob was made of all kinds of people of all ages, genders and sizes, shouting all kinds of things.

"SANMA YOU IDIOT! COME BACK! TASTE MY CUPCAKES!"

"AIREN, COME SLEEP WITH ME!"

"SAN-CHAN! COME BACK! YOU FORGOT TO TASTE MY OKONOMIYAKI!"

"OHOHOHO! YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM ME, DARLING! OHOHOHO!"

"COME BACK, RAOTOME! I SHALL DEFEAT THEE AND FREE NAKANE FROM THY CLAWS, FOUL MAGICIAN!"

"WHOOO! WHAT A HAUL! WHAT A HAUL!"

"FOOLISH BOY! HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY FROM YOUR DUTIES!"

"INDEED! YOU MUST FULFILL THE HONOUR OF OUR FAMILIES AND MARRY MY DAUGHTER!"

"I'LL KILL YOU, SANMA AND THEN CAT-FU WILL BE MINE!"

"SON-IN-LAW! YOU MUST COME BACK TO CHINA WITH US!"

After the mass passed through, the perverted trio were lying practically mangled beyond repair, completely dazed.

"What… was… that…? Ouch…" Issei asked in shock and pain.

"You see… what I… ugh… mean…?" Matsuda groaned in pain, as he glared at Issei.

"Mean… what…?" Issei asked confused.

"'Could it possibly get any worse…?' Never… say… I mean… ask that question… again… OK…?" Motohama answered.

"OK…" Issei simply answered, before falling unconscious.

The other two boys fell unconscious as well. Thus, if one walked by, one could see three teenage boys lying in the middle of the road, completely unconscious.

It was still early in the morning and not that many people were out (aside for the weird mob for some reason), which is why our heroes were lying on the street completely unnoticed.

Several minutes passed and still nobody passed by, with the perverted trio still lying motionless on the asphalt road. It was then, that a certain man with black hair, black shoes, jeans and a blue rain coat passed by. Furthermore, the man was pulling a platform trolley with his right hand behind him.

"Well, well… look who we have here…" the man said, as he looked on the downed form of our heroes. "You guys still have a long way to go…"

The man bent down and hauled Issei to the platform trolley. Then he laid him down on the trolley and repeated the process with Matsuda and Motohama. Thus, all three boys lay piled up on top of each other on the platform trolley, while the mysterious man pulled the wagon, moving slowly.

The man made his way down the road – in the direction of where the boys' destined apartment was.

After ten minutes, he arrived at a specific apartment complex. It was colored white and had five stories. The complex itself was not all that impressive, but it wasn't too bad either. Furthermore, it had a lift on the inside, which the man took along with the still unconscious trio.

The man pressed the button to the fifth floor. The door closed and the lift moved to the desired destination. Once the elevator got to the fifth floor, the man got off and dragged the trolley along. He went down the hallway to his left and halted at the third door.

The man looked at the door for a while, before turning his face to the unconscious trio. He smiled, before opening the door.

"Home, sweet home, boys," the man remarked, as he pulled the platform trolley in with him.

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 9:33 am – 5_ _th_ _floor, Apartment complex, Nerima_

"Ugh… Wha…?" Matsuda woke up groggily.

The moment he woke up, he knew something was off. One second, he was knocked out unconscious on the concrete floor, only to then feel like he had been placed upon some kind of… moving object. And if that hadn't been enough, he felt like he had been placed on something soft, but smelling of sweat. Yuk! And then something else was placed on top of him, reeking likewise of sweat, leaving him sandwiched in the mass of smelly bodies!

Matsuda was surprised, he hadn't woken up then, but despite the discomfort of that time, he was thankfully liberated by the stench when he the smelly body on top of him was removed. To top it off, he himself had been removed from that smelly mass beneath him and placed on something else that was soft. This one did not reek of sweat, but was fresh, soft and comfortable. Moreover, another similar object had been placed on top of him, which felt similar to what lay beneath him.

Now that Matsuda was awake, he now knew what the fresh objects in question were. They were a futon and a blanket.

Looking around him, he saw Motohama and Issei next to him on both sides, also covered in blankets.

And that was when alarms went off for Matsuda.

Where were they? Who had brought them here?

Matsuda looked around the room. It was obviously a place in which he had never been in before. Also, judging by the look outside the open balcony, they were somewhere high up in some apartment. But whose apartment was this?

Whatever the case, he had to wake up the others.

"Guys! Guys, wake up!" Matsuda implored Issei and Motohama to wake up. With groans, they reluctantly did so.

"What is it?" Issei asked groggily.

"Yeah… Where are we?" Motohama asked, while looking around the room.

"That's just the point! I don't have the faintest clue on where we are," Matsuda told Issei and Motohama.

"Then… who brought us here? And whose apartment is this?" Issei asked confused, as he, too, took a look around.

All three of them were looking around the room now. In addition to the balcony and the fact that they were in a high rise building of some kind, they noticed that they were in a rather small bedroom with a table, a chair, a wardrobe and a cupboard. There were two doors leading out of this room, one lead into the bathroom and another to the living room.

Despite all their efforts, they couldn't seem to find the owner of the place.

So, where is he?

As if on cue, they heard a flushing sound coming from the direction of the living room. They looked hard in that direction. It seemed like there was a bathroom there, too. And whoever was in there, must be the owner to this place.

The sound of the door unlocking was heard and out came a man in his twenties and black hair. He seemed like an average guy, nobody special, but he was the owner, so all the focus was on him.

The man entered the bed room. He looked at them with a slight smile.

"Good morning. You're awake. Nice to see that you're OK," the man said friendly.

Issei did his best to give the man a slight smile. "Yeah, umm… were you the one that brought us here?" Issei asked.

"Yes, I was," the man answered.

"Umm… Thanks for helping us, sir. Sorry for bothering you," Issei answered respectfully.

"No, problem. After all, what kind of landlord would I be, if I left my tenants out there on the streets like that? That's no way to treat another human being, more so if the rent for this apartment has been paid for the next five years," the man replied.

Matsuda, Motohama and Issei looked confused for a moment. What was he…?

And that was when it dawned on them. Could it be…?

"Judging by the look on your faces, I can already guess what you're going to ask. Yes, I am your landlord and this is your apartment. So, I guess I should be saying: Welcome home, Matsuda, Motohama and Issei," the man revealed.

All three boys' mouths stood there agape. This was their apartment!? They couldn't believe it. Multiple questions floated through their head and they shot them out like bullets.

"We really are at our apartment!?" Issei asked the man.

"Yes, yes… You heard that right… Monika arranged everything, so no worries," the man answered calmly.

"And we really have to pay no rent for the next five years!?" Motohama asked next.

"Exactly…" the man answered.

"Is the Neko Neko café nearby?" Motohama asked again.

"Indeed, it is. It's right down there," the man gestured outside. "You can see it down below."

"I heard Sophia University was also nearby, right?" Issei asked.

The man raised an eyebrow at that. "Umm… That's in Chiyoda Ward. Not in Nerima…" the man corrected.

Issei looked at the man confused. "Really? I thought it was nearby here. Monika said so."

"Well, Monika must be mistaken then. Because it is not here," the landlord clarified.

The boys looked at each other for a moment.

"So, Monika had been giving us wrong information, huh?" Issei remarked.

"Seems like it…" Motohama stated with a nod.

"Monika…" Matsuda said with a deadpanned expression in a low voice.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in some other dimension…_

"Achoo! Oops!"

"What is Monika?"

"Nothing, Sayori. I just realized I gave the boys some wrong information. Teehee…"

* * *

 _Back with the boys…_

After discussing among themselves, they resumed their questioning.

"How did we get here?" Matsuda asked the man next.

"I found you lying on the road. You didn't look in good shape, so I brought you here… with my platform trolley," the landlord answered. The last part of sentence he said in a rather sheepish way.

"Platform trolley?" Motohama asked.

"This thing," the landlord gestured at the rather small pulling vehicle in question. "I had to pile you up, since there was so little space on it. Sorry…"

At that, the three boys looked at each other, before wrinkling their noses in disgust.

"Ugh…" "Disgusting!" "That explains everything!" Motohama, Issei and Matsuda said respectively, backing away from each other, as if trying to stay clean.

The moment they did so, the covers came off and they realized that aside from their underwear, they were pretty much naked.

They quickly covered themselves, before slowly turning their faces towards the landlord once more.

"Where are our clothes?" Issei asked embarrassed.

"Oh, I threw them away. Pretty nice uniforms I have to say, but after you got mangled by the crowd, they have been torn. The condition your uniforms were in would not be acceptable for school standards, so I threw them away. In the meantime, please wear the clothes in the wardrobe next to you," the landlord gestured at the wardrobe.

The boys nodded. The man turned on his heel and headed out the room.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But I think it's best if you got changed for now. I'll be in the living room, if you need me," the landlord told them, before heading out.

"Umm… Mr. Landlord?" Issei addressed the man, who stopped in response.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Thank you. You know… for everything… We're really grateful. Right, guys?" Issei nudged his friends lightly at the side.

Matsuda and Motohama took the hint and all three made a bow in appreciation.

"Yes, thank you, sir," Matsuda thanked the man.

"Yeah, thank you very much," Motohama added.

The man chuckled with a toothy grin. "It's no problem. After all, it is the least I can be doing after you saved my life."

The three raised their heads in surprise.

"Wait. Saved your life? Have we met?" Motohama asked the man.

"Indeed, we have, Motohama. And you, too, Matsuda. Don't you recognize me?" the man pointed at his face.

The boys stared at the man's face. Now that he mentioned it, he did seem familiar, but where had they seen his face before?

And then… Matsuda's and Motohama's eyes widened. Issei noticed their reaction and was curious.

"Guys, is what he saying true?" Issei queried.

"Yes, but… that's impossible…" Motohama said in disbelief.

"How are you still alive? You were trapped in that dimension back at Sakabasu," Matsuda asked in shock.

"Sakabasu!?" Issei voiced incredulously.

"That's right. I shouldn't have survived. But thanks to certain circumstances, I was able to escape and bring the succubus down a notch – all thanks to you," the man answered with a wink.

It was then that Issei realized who the man was. Issei remembered about how Matsuda and Motohama had told him about this man who they had rescued from the succubus. To think that they would meet him here and alive…

"Wh-who are you? What's your name?" Issei asked of him with an earnest desire.

"Me? Oh, yes! Where are my manners…?" the man hit his forehead in realization. He forgot that he hadn't introduced himself yet and had yet to do so.

"My name is Shinyama Hide. And I will be your landlord from now on. I hope we get along."

* * *

 **Hello, everyone.**

 **Surprised to see me in the story?**

 **Well, there's a good reason for that.**

 **I realized the best way to help the perverted quartet is by helping them directly (and also because it's more fun to do it this way). Do not worry, I will remain on the sidelines as much as possible. It wouldn't be fair, if I just breezed our heroes through all the challenges like that.**

 **And speaking of challenges… Thus far, our heroes have finally reached the apartment that they are looking for (with me as their landlord).**

 **Now, how are they going go on from there? How will their daily routine be from now on? How will they cope from now on? How are they going to hide from the law for the next two years? Where will they go to school? When will they contact their parents?**

 **And most importantly: What kind of challenges from the supernatural realm will they encounter next?**

 **Those questions will be answered soon…**

 **Also, I ought to address another detail in this chapter.**

 **I'm sure a lot of you may have recognized those characters that our heroes have encountered just now. However, I should mention that these are** **not** **the same characters as in Ranma ½. They just resemble those characters and will appear from time to time as cameo characters or supporting characters. They may have similar quirks, but will have their own differences from their original counterparts.**

 **It's not that I hate Ranma 1/2, it's just that I don't want to turn it into a crossover of some kind, which is why I changed some (if not all) the names.**

 **Oh, before I end this chapter, here is an omake, partially answering one of the questions above.**

 **Hold on, I need to dial something…**

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 9:41 am – 5_ _th_ _floor, Apartment complex, Nerima_

[…]

[…]

[…]

"Hello, this is Shinyama Hide speaking. I am currently calling from Nerima, in Metropolitan Tokyo right now."

[…]

"I am currently calling you on behalf of your son, Motohama."

[…]

"Calm down, sir. Calm down… You heard me right. He is all right. In fact, he is with me in the apartment he and his friends are sharing right now, which is part of a complex owned by me."

[…]

"Look, I know you have a lot of questions, but hear me out. I have called to inform you that 1) he is all right and in good hands and 2) to keep this a secret as much as possible.

[…]

"Why? Officially, they are fugitives and are wanted by the law, thus it wouldn't be a good idea to spread the word. If you know what I mean…"

[…]

"Sure, you can call him… Once he gets a cellphone… Yes, you can even come visit him… But… he will be having a pseudonym…"

[…]

"That's an alias. An alternate name from one's real name. I don't have one yet, but I will inform you when I have one…"

[…]

"Unfortunately, he and his friends are getting dressed. They are even taking a shower right now. I don't know if he is finished…"

[…]

"Look, I understand your mistrust, but that's how it is. I'll tell you what: If he does not call you back within the next thirty minutes, you can call the police on me. My number is…" (tells cellphone number)

[…]

"That's right…"

[…]

"Well, now that that's settled… I will tell him about your call once he comes out."

[…]

"You need not worry about the Hibikis. I shall call them as well."

[…]

"Yes, I have their phone number. Why?"

[…]

"I found out their number through your son. I found out your number through your son, as well."

[…]

"How did he get to Nerima? Well, I'll let your son explain that. He's probably the best person to tell you that."

[…]

"Yes, he will be in contact with you soon. So, don't worry."

[…]

"Yes, thank you for your understanding, Mr. Todoriki. I wish you a nice day."

[…]

"Yes, farewell."

[…]

[…]

[…]

* * *

 **Well, now that that's settled… I should be getting to work on other matters.**

 **Please read and review.**

 **I hope to hear from you.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	32. Chapter 24 - Hiding in Ambush

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **I apologize for the wait, but there four good reasons for it.**

 **One, I have just recently moved to Ireland for a 5 month internship and had to do a lot of preparations and research for it.**

 **Two, while I'm there, the only electronic device I have there is my Samsung Galaxy J3 2017. In other words, I have to key down everything I write and upload my chapters from there. While I may be able to do these things, it still takes some getting used to.**

 **Three, I'm adapting to my new surroundings, so finding the time to write isn't easy.**

 **One thing is for sure. To some degree, I might get things done faster, since I can relax on a bed, while writing (I can't do that with a PC).**

 **And lastly, I have been trying to figure out how to go on with the story, since there are many possibilities on how to do so. At least now I have an idea on what to do.**

 **But enough of that, let's get to the story.**

 **This one is more of a transition chapter so it might not be that exciting, but we will be getting more adventures soon.**

 **In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 24 – Hiding in Ambush

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 10:08 am – 5_ _th_ _floor, Apartment complex, Nerima_

It was a beautiful day outside and right now the boys were eating breakfast around a table. This would be a normal event for most people, except for the boys this was quite an unusual event.

For one, they were in a different town altogether. Two, they were eating in an apartment they had never been in. Three, that apartment was theirs and they could live in it rent-free. And lastly, there was a complete stranger among them eating breakfast with them.

At least, that was how Issei felt.

Issei looked at the man who calls himself Shinyama Hide. He didn't seem too remarkable appearance-wise, but something told him that he was different from the average guy. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it had to be something. After all, why else would the succubus go out of its way to trap him in some dimension? Then again, he may have been just like any other victim that lost their lives to the succubus.

But after what Matsuda and Motohama told him, Issei wasn't so sure.

This man seemed to know everything that was going on about the succubus, the events that they had gone through, Monika and their girlfriends and the fact that they had been trapped in an illusion. How would anybody know about these things?

And that hadn't been enough, how on earth did he even escape that void? How on earth did a landlord from Nerima get caught in a trap set up in the vicinity of Kuoh? Did he have some business to do there?

Issei attempted to ask him, but the man just ignored him, leaving Issei without an answer.

But the biggest question Issei had was this:

Just who was he?

All he got from the man was: "I'm just a landlord, Issei. Nobody special."

With that, the man ended the conversation by saying he had to get ready to make breakfast. He said he made it for them. After some tummy grumbling, Issei decided not to pursue the matter. He was hungry after all.

But that didn't mean Issei would give up. That man was way too suspicious. After talking with Ddraig, Issei decided to bide his time and simply observe.

One way or the other the man would show an opening and then the cat would be let out of the bag.

For now, it was time to enjoy breakfast. Issei was currently munching on a croissant, with a cup of juice next to his plate.

And speaking of enjoyment, while Issei was still pondering all these things, Matsuda and Motohama were eagerly talking what they were going to do for today, now that they were in Tokyo.

"We should definitely go check Akihabara as soon as we can," Motohama said with excitement, almost as if he could dash off, the moment he was told to so.

"Yeah!" Matsuda agreed with a nod in a similar manner. "First, we need to get the next a Wii U, then we will get some worthwhile games like 'Girl Gymnastics XXX' and 'Ballet Girl Supreme,'" he said as he couldn't wait to depart as well.

"Really, man?" Motohama raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Did you have to ruin the moment with your flexibility fetish again? And a Wii U, too? Why not get a PS4? That's way better and the games – including hentai games for it – are way better," Motohama argued.

Matsuda glared back. "Oh, shut up! Just leave me alone!" he bellowed.

Motohama shook his head. "Man, you're pathetic…"

"Guys, are you still going to fight about this? Why can't you guys just agree to disagree and find a console and some games we all like. You know, like multiplayer games," Issei suggested in order to diffuse the situation.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei, before nodding for a bit.

"OK… Not, too bad of an idea… I guess…" Matsuda reluctantly agreed to Issei's suggestion.

"I agree," Motohama stated. "So… any ideas?"

"Boys, I hate to disrupt your conversation, but I think we have more important things to discuss than your free time activities," the landlord Hide told them.

All three boys looked at him confused.

"What things?" Issei asked for them all.

"Why, about further arrangements for your time here, of course - especially when it comes to the issues of your allowance and education," Hide replied.

"Oh, yeah… those things…" Issei simply said.

"Right, allowances… without that, we wouldn't be able to buy anything," Matsuda added.

"So? How much money are we going to get?" Motohama asked with obvious interest.

"I'm glad you asked," Hide said. "First of all, I should explain some things about your rent. Normally, this apartment here would cost ¥70000 per month. That means, it costs ¥840000 a year and 4.2 million yen in five years."

Issue whistled impressed.

"That's a lot of money…" Motohama commented.

Hide nodded. "That's right. Fortunately for all of you, all this rent for the next five years have been paid for, meaning that by the time these five years are over, you will have already had a job – hopefully. You three are veeeeery lucky. Monika is quite the philanthropist."

Suddenly, the Boosted Gear appeared on Issei's arm, much too everybody's shock.

 **[Indeed she is]** Ddraig spoke up **.**

"Wha-wha-wha… Ddraig!? Why are you…?" Issei asked flabbergasted at Ddraig's audacious move. What on earth was he thinking, appearing in front of the landlord like that!?

 **[Partner, I just remembered something]** Ddraig said in the hearing of everyone present. "This man knows who I am. Matsuda and Motohama told us about how he knew about everything that has transpired around us, including me. Thus, hiding is useless."

"That's right, Ddraig," Hide said with a nod. "There are no secrets hidden from me, including the supernatural. If you have any problems about anything – and I mean anything – please don't hesitate to ask me for help."

 **[We will keep that in mind]** Ddraig said. After that, he dismissed himself along with the Boosted Gear.

The man laughed. "What a creature… Anyway, let us get back to where we left off…"

The boys recovered from the surprise that had just happened and listened to what the man had to say once more.

"Now, Monika is not the only who has been generous. In fact, your girlfriends have been generous as well. They have left you enough savings for the next ten years."

The boys whooped and gave high-fives to each other at what they heard.

"Ten years! Can you believe that?" Matsuda asked the others with excitement .

"Heck, yeah!" Motohama exclaimed.

"We don't have to worry about money ever again!" Issei said with a pumped fist.

However, Hide held his hand up. "Hold it. I said you could last ten years with it – if you use it wisely. First of all, each of you will receive ¥2500 per week. And keep in mind that about half of it will be spent on necessities, like food. You three do need to eat after all."

"Oh…" Issei said stunned, with Matsuda and Motohama being frozen in action as well.

They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "Eh… well at least ¥1250 will remain with each one of us, right?" Matsuda stated, trying to make the most out of it.

But Hide wasn't finished. "Keep in mind, that this is just an estimate and you could end up needing to spend more. Also, other things like shampoo, soap, washing powder, clothes and so on, you must also provide for yourselves. Don't expect me to do all the shopping for you."

The boys' happy attitude had dampened significantly. They should have known there was a downside with receiving all that money. They realized living in their own apartment came with its own responsibilities.

Oh, well… guess they had to save up their money bit by bit, huh? Hopefully, they had enough money to spare in the meantime.

"Now that that's out of the way, it is time to talk about the school you three are going to go to…" Hide continued with the next item on the agenda.

The boys listened closely, as Hide cleared his throat.

"I have enrolled you three in Furinkan Vocational School. You will be going to class 1-3 first thing on Monday at 8 am," Hide explained.

This statement made the trio raise their eyebrows. They looked at each other with some bewilderment at what they had just heard.

"Furinkan… Why does that name sound so familiar…?" Issei wondered. "Guys, does 'Furinkan' ring any bells?"

"Nope," Matsuda shook his head. "Though, I'm pretty sure that 'vocational' was not together with that word…"

"Umm… what's 'vocational'?" Motohama asked, while raising his hand.

"'Vocational' means job-related, in other words you are going to a school that is going to prepare you in a certain career-field of your choice," Hide explained.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes.

"Job-choices? Already!?" Matsuda asked in disbelief.

"But, we haven't… well, not really, but still! We haven't…" Motohama fell over his words, as he tried to explain himself.

"He means to say that we haven't really set our careers on stone. Well, at least I did, but… I don't know about them…" Issei finished for Motohama.

"No worries," Hide gestured them to calm down. "You're going to start with the first-years and those haven't picked a specialized field just yet. So don't worry. For this year, you're just going through all the basic education of all the fields, before choosing one. You'll probably have to catch up with the rest of the class and whatever it is they learned."

After Hide finished speaking, Issei had a question.

"What kind of fields are there? Is detective work also among them or something like that?" Issei wanted to know.

Hide chuckled a bit at what he heard. "Unfortunately, no. The career fields the school offers are IT, administration, manufacturing, agriculture, home economics and designing."

Issei visibly deflated. He had hoped that a job-based school like that would enable him to get closer to his dreams, but if what the landlord said was correct, it didn't seem to be that way.

Hide saw his disappointment and realized that he had forgotten something important. And that was that Issei Hyoudou was a young man full of dreams and hopes and that these lay deep within his psyche to make the world a better place so that nobody would suffer like he did. Hide almost wanted to smack himself in the face for forgetting this fact. This is why he sought to cheer him up.

"Look, I know you have your dreams and hopes, but there… is no such thing, as becoming a professional private consultant straight away. People like them spend years getting experience in other fields, before using their knowledge and experiences to become detectives… in the meantime, it is best to take advantage of the opportunities you have at Furinkan and widen your horizon. You still have a bright future, after all. Maybe you will become a detective along the way or… maybe not and instead pick a career that fits you better. Do you understand, Issei?" Hide asked Issei, hoping these words of encouragement would be enough.

Issei looked at Hide with an uncertain expression. Hide couldn't see any particular change in Issei's mood, yet he could see that Issei was trying to lift the mood with a nod.

Hide smiled. "Don't worry, OK? The same goes for you two as well," the landlord looked at Matsuda and Motohama. "Even if your desired careers can't be learned at school, you can still get to it later in life. There are many ways to do it after all. Speaking of school…" Hide took a deep breath. He stood up from the breakfast table and made his way to the sofa.

That was when Issei, Matsuda and Motohama saw some clothes folded neatly on the sofa. There were black blazers, white shirts and black pants. They looked completely new.

"These here," Hide gestured to the folded clothes. "Are going to be your new school uniforms. These have been commissioned to me on advance by the school. I also paid for the clothes as well. All you boys need to do is to make sure they stay clean. As you probably know, nobody likes to see dirty uniforms. I will be getting more uniforms soon, but first I need to know whether they fit you or not."

The three boys stood up from their chairs and inspected the uniforms in question.

"Black and white, huh?" Motohama remarked.

"They're just like or old school uniforms at Kuoh Academy," Matsuda commented.

"Yeah, but look. There is no ribbon at the collar. And also, the edges of the sleeves and collars are blue," Issei pointed out.

Matsuda and Motohama looked closer and true enough it was just as Issei had said.

"Hmm… good eye. I think you really are cut out to be a detective," Hide praised Issei.

"Hehehe… Please… I'm really not that good…" Issei said, fidgeting and blushing at the same time.

"Thank you very much, Hide-san," Matsuda gave a small bow of thanks at the man's kindness.

Seeing this, Motohama and Issei followed suit, doing a similar bow in Japanese fashion.

"My pleasure, boys," Hide replied.

They made their way back to their table to continue their breakfast. Just before Hide took a bite, he remembered something.

"Oh, yes. Else I forget, Matsuda, Motohama. I called your parents not too long ago. I told them you would call back. You should give them a call," Hide revealed.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Hide in surprise.

"Y-You did?" Matsuda asked in surprise.

"How did you…?" Motohama wanted to ask, but Hide answered him quickly.

"…know? Monika gave me their numbers. They visited you in prison and gave her their contact numbers," Hide pointed out.

Nobody said anything, especially Issei, though inwardly he was sighing deeply. He wished his parents were still alive. Matsuda and Motohama had it good…

"Anyway, they asked how you three have been doing and whether you have been safe and all. I told them you were, but since you were busy changing I did not want to disturb you. My cellphone is right over there on that table there," Hide pointed at the black cellphone in question.

The boys turned to look behind them and saw what their landlord was talking about, before facing Hide again.

"Oh! And please call them as soon as you finish breakfast. I don't want them to call the police on me. That's especially true about your parents, Motohama," Hide informed them.

"Why would my parents call the police on you?" Motohama asked with a bit of suspicion.

"They don't quite trust me. I mean, I understand them. I wouldn't trust any random stranger to be around my children, if I had any," Hide answered. "Hence the phone call."

"Oh… I see…" Motohama just said.

There was an awkward silence for a while, before Motohama got up.

"I think I am done. It's best if I call them now. Thank you for the meal," Motohama said, as he went to the small table and took the cell phone.

Hide nodded, while Motohama made his way to make his call in private.

Facing Matsuda and Issei, Hide spoke, saying "There is another thing I need to tell you boys. I told both the Hibikis and the Todorikis that you since you are still being wanted by the law, you will be using other names from now on."

"Other names?" Issei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Like a codename or something?" Matsuda wondered.

"Not quite," Hide answered. "The right term is 'alias'. It would be no good going around with your real names when the police are looking for you. You should also be getting a new look, too."

"What do you have in mind?" Issei inquired.

"Oh, well. I have this in mind…" Hide said, as he proceeded to explain.

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 11:54 am – on the streets of Nerima_

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were out on the streets on the way to the next supermarket. Hide had sent them out to get groceries together with a list on what they should buy. He also gave them a wallet with their pocket money inside and some cotton bags to carry the groceries.

He had them do this, stating that this way they could learn to be independent. Hide also explained that he didn't have time to take care of them, since he had other things to do.

OK, pretty reasonable… But what they did not understand, is…

"…why he had cut my hair short!?" Issei complained, while feeling his hair.

Much of his proud mane had been shorn off and replaced with a buzz cut where the side of his hair was particularly shortened. Issei almost felt like he was bald or something. When Hide first explained that they needed to change their look, he was already wary on what that might entail. But when Hide told Issei to sit down on one of the chairs prepared by him and then revealing that he needed his hair cut…

"Argh!" Issei held his hair in frustration at the memory of having to sit through the haircut.

Nevertheless, he let it happen because doing that was still better than being found out by the police and then thrown in jail again, but still!

As if that hadn't been enough, he almost botched it by shaving off too much hair. The only way to save face was this particular haircut!

"Relax, it could have been worse," Matsuda tried to calm his friend down. "You still have much of your hair. You're not completely bald or anything."

"Says the guy who actually is!" Issei retorted. "And I don't understand why Motohama gets to keep the majority of his hair."

"He gets better at his haircutting skills, I guess," Motohama smirked, while showing off his hair, which was cut shorter, but not too short like with Issei at the side.

Issei clicked his tongue in annoyance. "And what about our names? What is up with that? Why did he have us pretend we are all adoptive brothers, huh?"

"Hide brothers… Not the worst name, I guess, but it does need some getting used to," Matsuda commented.

 **[Indeed, 'Onii-chan'. Pfff… Now you've got two little 'sisters' to oggle over. Pfft…]** Ddraig joked while trying to hold in his laughter. Currently, the Boosted Gear was out on Issei's arm because Ddraig had been complaining about being cooped in for so long.

"OH, WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Matsuda yelled at Ddraig in irritation.

"Yeah, we're not girls!" Issei joined in as well.

"Yeah, so keep quiet! You're getting on our nerves!" Motohama reacted with annoyance.

 **[Can't you three just take a joke? Sheesh… Spoilsports…]** Ddraig responded seriously at their apparent lack of humor. **[But seriously, you said so yourself that you are the oldest in the group. So, you really should get used to being called Onii-san or something like that.]**

"If anything, I prefer 'Aniki'. Sounds way cooler, too," Matsuda remarked.

"You sound like some kind of gang-leader or something rather than an older brother," Motohama said with a wry face.

"Still better than being called 'Onii-chan'," Matsuda answered back, shuddering at the thought of Matsuda and Motohama calling him 'Onii-chan'.

"Better 'Onii-chan' than 'Ototou'," Issei said. "I'm the youngest and Motohama is in the middle. And being the youngest one sucks!"

"Heh, yeah… hey… wait a minute…" Motohama spoke up, as something came to mind.

"What?" Issei asked.

"If I am in the middle, doesn't that mean I am both 'Ototou' and 'Onii-chan'?" Motohama asked them.

All of them looked at each other weird, but didn't say anything. Matsuda shrugged his shoulders first and then Issei did the same, before walking on in silence…

 **[Of course, I am thousands of years older than all of you, so I should be the one you should call 'Aniki']** Ddraig interrupted the silence with dragonish pride.

Having been told off for so long whenever Ddraig made a trolling comment like this, Ddraig expected the same to happen again.

Instead, much to Ddraig's surprise, they didn't flip like usual and instead looked at each other, came to some kind of unspoken agreement, before then speaking up.

"If anything, Onii-chan would be better," Issei remarked calmly.

"Agreed," Motohama nodded.

"Yeah, a cutesy way of addressing a troll like him is exactly what fits him, Matsuda stated .

Ddraig was shocked… and then outraged.

 **[YOU DARE MOCK ME!"** Ddraig bellowed. **"I AM DDRAIG, ONE OF THE TWO HEAVENLY DRAGON EMPERORS! AND I DEMAND THAT YOU-!]**

"Oh, look there's the supermarket! I think I should dismiss the Boosted Gear," Issei interrupted Ddraig upon seeing the Bonsai Market.

 **[I AM NOT FINI-]** Ddraig tried to speak his mind.

"We'll talk some other time, 'Onii-chan'," Issei said cutting off the angry Dragon and dismissing the Boosted Gear.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were laughing now.

"Hahaha… serves him right!" Matsuda said in laughter.

"Hahaha… Totally!" Motohama laughed, while giving Matsuda and Issei high-fives.

"Hahahaha… Yeah… say, who has the shopping list?" Issei asked, now changing the subject.

"I do!" Matsuda said, while he pulled out the piece of paper in question.

"And I've got the purse," Motohama flashed it before everyone.

"Good. Let's get to work…" Issei said, as he and his buddies walked towards the Bonsai Market.

Just then, Issei stopped and turned around. He used his dragonized ears and nose to sense out what he had perceived.

"Issei, what's wrong?" Matsuda asked concerned at his abrupt action.

Issei didn't answer. After a few seconds of surveillance, Issei turned around to acknowledge Matsuda and shook his head.

"It's nothing," Issei answered and walked ahead of them.

Matsuda and Motohama were skeptical. But decided to just forget about it and follow Issei into the supermarket.

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 12:09 pm – Bonsai Mart_

"Two carts of milk," Matsuda read out from the list.

"Got it!" Motohama said, as he picked out two carts of milk from among the many carts in the open refrigerator.

"Is it the 1 percent version?" Matsuda asked.

Motohama inspected the carts of milk. "Yup. It is," he confirmed.

"Hey, Matsuda! Should I get margarine or butter? I know the list says butter, but you know… margarine is cheaper…" Issei stated.

"It's better if we follow the list… so take the butter…" Matsuda replied.

Currently, the trio was going through the shopping list and putting the items on the list in their shopping bag. So far, they had gotten everything except the items that are normally found in the refrigerator. Matsuda was holding the list, Motohama was holding the purse in his pocket (in order to make the payment at the cash register) and Issei was bagging in the items. At first, Issei thought it was kind of unfair to have him carrying the heavy shopping bag, but seeing that everybody had a part to play – and that somebody had to carry the bag – he decided to let it be.

Of course, like with most shopping, one faces the dilemma on what to buy, which goes for our three heroes as well.

"But wait. This shopping list is for us, right? What does it even matter to us, if we eat butter or margarine? Unless you two mind it that is," Issei reasoned.

"I don't know," Matsuda replied with a shrug. "To be honest, I don't even know whether the landlord just merely wanted to help us be independent or if he is not testing us. With this guy, I just can't tell."

"Agreed," Motohama said, as he came from the sidelines. Issei opened the bag so that Motohama could put the milk carts in.

"Speaking of that guy… what was his name again?" Issei asked Matsuda and Motohama.

"Shinyama Hide… I think?" Motohama answered uncertain, since he himself had barely managed to remember the man's name.

"Yeah… tell me… You two said that he was trapped with you in that dimension with the succubus, right? Tell me something. How did he manage to get out of that dimension? I tried to ask him, but he refused to do that. You told me that he got swallowed up by the succubus' dark matter, so how did you think he did that?" Issei questioned.

The two boys scratched their heads and then shrugged their shoulders. "No idea. But whatever he did, he found a way," Motohama answered.

"Yeah. We do know that he can punch the air and then a big boom would come out from his fist. Maybe he did that or something similar," Matsuda speculated.

"Possible," Issei nodded. "Say, Ddraig, do you think he's some kind of supernatural being or something?"

 **[I'm not sure, Partner. I couldn't really tell what he was either. He smelled like an ordinary human, so he might be a magician of some kind. But I am not quite sure]** Ddraig answered.

"Ok… but good theory…" Issei replied.

"Huh? What did Ddraig say?" Matsuda asked Issei.

"Yeah, unlike you, we can't hear him if he is in your head. What did he say?" Motohama wanted to know.

"He just thought Hide-san might be a magician. But even he is not sure," Issei replied.

""Oh…""Both Matsuda and Motohama voiced and nobody said anything more.

"Say, guys?" Motohama asked.

"Hmm?" Issei responded.

"Do we have everything on the list?" Motohama asked his question.

"Hold on…" Matsuda took a look on his list. "We still need cheese, some salami, some bacon and some meatballs…" look he read out loud.

They went straight to work.

While, Issei went to the meat department Ddraig spoke up.

 **[You noticed it, too, didn't you?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

"Yeah, I did," Issei confirmed Ddraig's question. "I have yet to tell Matsuda and Motohama about it. But I don't know what to do next. Got any ideas?"

 **[Of course, here is the plan…]** Ddraig told Issei of his idea.

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 12:21 pm – back on the streets_

After the trio found all the items on the list and paid for them at the cashier, they made their way back to their new apartment. Currently, Motohama was trailing right behind Issei and Matsuda, both of whom were walking side by side to each other.

The reason? Well, it was because Motohama one carrying the shopping bag, much to his own chagrin. And he had good reason for being this way, for the bag was full and, moreover, rather heavy. The only reason he agreed to carry it was because of the discussion he had with Issei, Matsuda and Ddraig earlier in the supermarket.

'You guys better be correct…' Motohama complained mentally.

Right now, the pedestrian path had people going up and down the street just minding their own business. It was a hassle for them to dodge these people, which was even more problematic for Motohama, who needed to be careful about bumping into people with the goods.

As they made their way down the road towards their new home, Matsuda started a discussion.

"Say, guys. What field do you guys want to pick?" Matsuda asked the two of them.

"Field?" Issei asked confused at what Matsuda was talking about.

"For school, remember?" Matsuda reminded Issei.

"Oh… that… I don't know yet. But as far as I am concerned, we don't have to decide that now. Only after the first year finishes, right?" Issei asked rhetorically. Yet after saying that he couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, none of the fields lead directly into the detective business."

"Well… I'm sure you'll find something," Matsuda attempted to cheer his friend up. "Anyway, I was thinking about doing either designing or IT, depending on what gets me closer to my dream of becoming a professional photographer."

"Oh, yeah… that… you always were good at this stuff… makes me wonder why you left the photography club on the first place," Issei said.

"Heh… too many prudes. That's all I'm saying," Matsuda gave a mocking laugh at his former club members. "They could never understand the delights of pornography. Some them were a bunch of shrieking feminists, so there was no way I could stay there for too long."

"Tch," Issei clicked his tongue. "Feminists. Ruin everything."

Matsuda nodded, before turning back to look at Motohama.

"Hey, Motohama. What field do you want to choose?" Matsuda asked Motohama, who was still straining to carry the bag.

"Motohama?" Matsuda addressed him once more, getting him to finally react.

"What? Did you say something?" Motohama asked.

Matsuda shook his head at his friend's lack of attention. He decided to ask again.

"I asked about what field you want to do at school," Matsuda said.

Motohama thought for a bit, before he shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. At first, I wanted to do something in the field of biology, like a doctor. But then, I after sitting down with Yuri, I realized… I didn't really know what to do. I found out that there were a whole bunch of jobs in that field, many of which have tough requirements. But even choosing just to go into the realm of biology would be too narrow of a choice."

"Too narrow?" Issei asked this time.

"Yeah, what Yuri told me was to expand my horizon. Think about many possibilities and figuring out whether I'm good at those fields or not. Then I can slowly choose my field and then my job. Until then, I want to keep my options open. That's what she taught me… That's why…" Motohama smiled sadly at the memory of Yuri. "…I fell in love with her…"

Issei and Matsuda immediately became sober. Getting over their girlfriends won't be easy. The pain was still fresh after all. But both of them knew that dwelling on it, won't do them any good.

Matsuda put his hand on Motohama's shoulder. "Let's get going," he said to Motohama.

Motohama nodded sadly and tried his best to keep his emotions in check. And so they walked on.

Ddraig, being in the Boosted Gear, couldn't take part in the conversation. All he could do was just shake his head in sadness, not simply because of his host's heartbreak, but also of things that were to come. He knew, after living thousands of years, that in one way or the other, they were going to deal with situations like these more often.

Sooner or…

 **[Hmm?]** Ddraig thought he sensed something, something suspicious.

He immediately notified Issei. **[Partner, it's time. Get ready.]**

Issei nodded and went into action.

He tapped Matsuda on the shoulder and gave him a look. Normally, Matsuda would have been confused by this gesture, but not in this situation.

Matsuda simply nodded, yet still he and everyone else continued to walk forward.

After a minute or so, the masses of people passing by was getting thinner, they didn't need to maneuver around the passing pedestrians like they used to. It was at that moment that Matsuda suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, I think we're supposed to turn in here!" Matsuda said in an unusually loud voice, pointing to narrow street between two big brick buildings.

"Right! Now I remember! We came from this alley lane! How could I have been so forgetful!" Issei called out.

Motohama was confused, as to why Issei and Motohama were talking like that and why they thought going in was the correct path to take.

"Guys, what are you talking about?" Motohama spoke up. "We from the main road obviously, how could we have…"

Motohama wanted to say more, but a glare from Issei and Matsuda silenced him. That was when he remembered.

"Of course, how could I have been so stupid!" Motohama playfully knocked his head, while sticking his tongue out. "We totally came through this way! Let's get going, guys!" Motohama told his buddies, while heading into the alley first.

Matsuda and Issei followed, thus reversing the order of who lead and who strayed behind.

After about twenty seconds later, aside from one or two people and the occasional car, the street was completely empty and silent.

Eventually, nobody passed by and the silence was absolute.

And then… a woman came towards the alley entrance where the trio had turned into.

"Ufufufu… Prey… Sacred Gear user…" the unnervingly creepy woman giggled with delight.

The woman was covered in a long trench coat and a hood. Not good fashion taste, but anyone looking at her could probably tell that her choice of dress was anything, except fashion-related.

"Kill… Eat user… must feed… wipe them out…" she spoke in simple sentence structures and smacking her lips.

Now, anyone who was to see this woman would also be able to tell that there were other things wrong about her.

Not only was her sense of fashion bad, but her speech and demeanour were abnormal as well.

Moreover, the words she just said were even more ominous.

And seeing her covered up appearance, it would be easy to think that she was trying to hide her true identity. But for what reason?

She made her way into the narrow alley, following right behind our heroes. She made her way forward towards the next turn to the right where they had presumably turned into.

"Mistress… always take in filthy humans… Sacred Gear users… grrr… cannot accept them..." She growled angrily. "Always moved aside… for them… was strongest… now not… because of them… took my eye… all must die…"

It was then that the woman cast off her coat and revealed her naked body to the world.

Had anyone seen her, he or she would have been revolted at the sight.

Other than having a nice womanly torso, it was filled with scars and covered in blood. Her gray hair was dirty and her face looked horrendous. Her left eye was gone, having been completely cut off by some unknown weapon. Her teeth were sharp and many and it looked like her mouth was filled with teeth.

But worst of all… she transformed…

She crouched down on all fours and grew black hair all over her body. She even grew a tail from behind. Then canine ears grew from her head and a snout and canine teeth as well, increasing the size of her teeth. Her jaw and head, along with the rest of her body grew as well. Her tail had split into several and unlike her body were hairless and covered in scales instead.

The result of the transformation was an abominable hairy wolf with snakes as tails. Truly something out of a horror movie.

The monster trudged forward, nearing the corner.

"Now… they die… now they… PAY! They are…" the monster wolf abomination growled, ready to ambush the poor unsuspecting trio, except…

{Firing turrets!}

"Wha-? AAAAARRGH!" the monster screamed, as she was pierced by multiple rounds of the Chopping Board Type 2 from behind (which was at its original small size).

She collapsed to the ground in pain, yet struggled to stay alive.

"Urrrgh… What…?" the wolf monster asked in pain.

Not a second after she spoke, Issei jumped out of the corner with the Boosted Gear ready.

She widened her eyes in shock. It was her prey.

"Gotcha, you wench…" Issei said coldly, before sending his gauntlet-wearing fist smashing down on her head.

[Squelch!]

Her head was immediately crushed by the force of the Boosted Gear's punch. Blood and brain matter spattered all over Issei's clothes. The wolf's body spasmed violently, before becoming completely still.

The fight – if you could call it that – was over.

"Ugh… yuck!" Issei voiced in disgust. He immediately wiped off the bodily tissue from his clothes as good as he could. "I hate it when that happens! Next time, I'll just blast them with my Dragon Shot, instead of punching their brains out!"

"Yeah, but then you would have the problem of attracting the attention of the police and then we would be back in jail again," Motohama interjected, as he came around the corner with Matsuda.

"Well, easy for you to say!" Issei retorted. "You two had the luxury of staying behind that corner. I had to get out there and finish the job!"

"Hey, don't look at me!" Matsuda protested. "It's not like I did nothing. I mean, if it hadn't been for me giving orders to the Chopping Board Type 2, who knows what that thing would have done to us? Good job by the way, Phoebe," Matsuda said to the helicopter's A.I.

{Your wish is my command, Captain. Awaiting new orders} Phoebe said monotonous as usual.

"Umm… head up to the sky and continue patrolling," Matsuda ordered.

{Yes, Captain} Phoebe replied, before flying the helicopter back into the sky.

"It was a good idea to lure that monster here and have Phoebe ambush it from behind. I was even able to use the helicopter's camera and get a good live feed and a good recording, too. Man, that thing gave me the chills," Matsuda shuddered at seeing and hearing that monster from his watch. Honestly, it was a very nerve-racking experience for the other two as well.

"Yeah Ddraig really has some good plans once in a while," Issei commented .

"Yeah, but why did I have to hold the bag throughout the entire operation!? Huh, Ddraig?" Motohama demanded indignantly.

But Ddraig didn't answer and Issei paid no heed to him, since he was too busy cleaning himself from the filth on his body.

After cleaning himself, Issei murmured. "Man, washing these clothes after every fight is really going to be a pain… and it's all that monster's fault…"

"It was a shame, though," Motohama commented, as he looked upon the monster's dead body. "She had really nice boobs."

"Yeah, but sadly we had no choice," Matsuda shook his head in disappointment. "That thing whatever it was… didn't seem to be reasonable."

 **[Indeed]** Ddraig spoke from within the Boosted Gear. **[That was a stray devil. A stray devil is one that used to belong to a devil master, before running away. And judging by what it said, it seemed to have a personal hatred for Sacred Gear users. It must have sensed Issei's Boosted Gear and decided to come after him.]**

Issei felt uneasy upon hearing this. "Are all stray devils like this?"

 **[Not all. But many of them tend to have no restraints on what they do, whether it be killing humans or any creature for that matter. Some of them even mutate when their Evil Pieces react upon defection]** Ddraig explained.

"What were Evil Pieces again, Ddraig?" Matsuda asked Ddraig.

 **[Evil Pieces are chess pieces that allow a devil to take up peerage members. These pieces give the new peerage members different types of powers depending on what piece was used on them, such as a knight having enhanced speed or a bishop enhanced magical reserves or a rook increased strength or a queen having all three of these powers boosted]** Ddraig explained.

"Sounds cool," Motohama remarked.

 **[Yes, only if you are the king, in other words, the master. Every one else is a slave, unfree to do as they please. That is why some of them flee, becoming stray devils in the process. These would normally be hunted down and killed by other devils]** Ddraig told them.

"Oh… I see… I take that back…" Motohama said uneasy at what he just heard.

"They kill them!? These devils really are devils! That's barbaric!" Matsuda voiced outraged.

 **[Yes. But worst of all, is that not only can they turn other devils into their servants, but they can also do the same to other beings as well. Yokai, valkyries, dragons, fallen angels… even humans, especially those with Sacred Gear's, in order to build up their peerages in Rating Games]** Ddraig revealed to them.

"Ddraig, I think you've mentioned that term to me before. What's a Rating Game?" Issei asked.

 **[Rating Games are matches, in which devil masters pit their peerages against each other. The peerage members fight each other and the winner is the group in which the king or master is defeated. The more successful a peerage has in these games, the better his standing in the Underworld. Hence all the collecting of Sacred Gear users]** Ddraig answered.

Issei could not help but feel disgusted upon hearing this. This wasn't just slavery, it was like gladiators back in ancient Rome. Fighting and killing for bread and water. To think such a thing could still exist and that human beings were being dragged into this, too…

Now that he thought about it, Rias Gremory and Souna Shitori were devils and they probably had peerages, too. Could they also be partaking in these sick games? And to think that people like them were being looked up to... not just by him, but the entire school!

'I guess the saying is true: 'Looks can deceive',' Issei concluded in his mind.

"Man, I really feel sorry for these stray devils. I would also run, if I were in their shoes," Issei stated.

 **[Partner, I understand how you feel, but you have to remember. Stray devils are dangerous creatures. Many of them flee for selfish reasons or because they are twisted beings in general. When you see one, it would be best to eliminate them or else they mat grow and become a greater threat]** Ddraig warned Issei.

"Umm… Ddraig? I'm just wondering… but… how many stray devils are wandering around like this?" Motohama asked.

 **[I'm not sure. But the occasional stray devil will appear every once in a while. It's best to be on your guard, especially when you are around Issei and myself]** Ddraig answered.

"Huh? Why you two?" Matsuda asked this time.

"Yeah, why me?" Issei asked, not liking the idea of being a trouble magnet of some kind.

 **[Do you remember what I told you back at Sakabasu Prison?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

Issei looked confused for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, I don't. But what has that got to do with anything?"

 **[Everything. Having a Sacred Gear like mine attracts all kinds of enemies, both strong and weak. That includes stray devils, who are mostly weak. That succubus and that boar may be significantly stronger than this foe, but still belong to the weaker ones]** Ddraig answered.

Everybody grew slightly pale at that. Those were weak enemies? If they were weak, then they could only imagine what a strong enemy might be. And that did not make them comfortable.

Seeing that everybody was stunned by what he said, Ddraig decided to snap them out of it.

 **[Anyway, I think it's best if we get a move on. Let's head back for now. Then when we have free time, we get back to our training schedule that has been neglected these past few weeks. Remember? You three are getting out of shape and you need to be ready for the next fight. We got lucky this time, but next time we may not be so lucky]** Ddraig told the boys.

The three of them nodded quickly and headed out of the alley as quickly as possible. They really did not want to stay in a place that had a rotting monster corpse in it. In Issei's case, he really wanted to get a change of clothes. His smelled – badly!

As they made their way home, they forgot all about going to Akihabara and porn games.

Business, it seemed, had knocked on the door and brought a lot of metaphorical thugs with it, the kind that hurt you just for the fun of it.

And to top it off, tomorrow was their first day at the new school. As if they didn't have enough problems!

But little did they realize that more trouble was lying somewhere else.

More specifically, somewhere in the same city within another alley…

"BWEEEEEEEEE!" a black piglet squealed, as it ran away in fright. One might be wondering why he wore a red bandana around his neck, but that didn't matter.

Currently, this piglet was having a particularly bad day from being humiliated once again by his rival, then falling into a pond, turning into a piglet once more and then coming across these abominable monsters!

Thankfully, the piglet was a good runner and could elude his pursuers by hiding inside a trash bin. It smelled, but better that than dead!

As he waited out with heavy breathing and fearful eyes, the piglet saw his pursuers looking around.

Both of them were wearing trench coats and their faces were obscured by their hoods. The piglet did not know who they were, but he knew they were female – and after his life.

They weren't normal, that was for sure. In fact, the piglet was sure they weren't even human.

Then the piglet picked up words… he heard them talking! He listened carefully…

"I'm hungry… Where is that pig? Slurp…" one of them said with a raspy monstrous voice, licking her lips in hunger.

"Forget it! It wouldn't be able to satisfy our hunger anyway!" the other person replied with a similarly raspy voice.

"What do we do now?" the first woman asked.

"We wait for Oka and Kanto to return, then we'll look for the next prey!" the second woman replied.

"Better yet, if… Sacred Gear user…" she growled impatiently.

"We'll get our revenge on them soon… First, we wait. Then we'll plan our next move!" the second woman calmed the first one down.

"All right…" the first woman reluctantly agreed.

Both of them leaned back against the wall and waited.

After about half a minute, another figure appeared from the sky. This person, unlike the two women was male and did not have a hood. He had gray long hair and white scaly skin. His eyes were reptilian and had a skinny, but tall figure. He had an overall intimidating appearance.

The piglet shuddered inside the trash can, peering through the gap of the lid and the bin.

He knew just from seeing that man that he – and possibly the other two women with him - weren't human. Just what were they?

"Kanto! What took you so long? Kao and I have been doing nothing but hunt rodents here!" the first woman snarled at the male monster named Kanto.

But Kanto didn't seem to be in a good mood either. He growled angrily, before knocking down a trash can in anger. Thankfully the piglet was not in that one or else he would be found!

"Shut up, Ako! We've got problems! Serious ones! Somebody has killed Oka!" Kanto revealed angrily.

This caused the two trench coat wearing women to react in utter fury.

"Killed Oka!?" the first woman named Ako shrieked.

"Who did that? A Sacred Gear user!?" the other woman named Kao demanded to know.

"Tch! No idea! All I know is that somebody destroyed her head, like a watermelon. One thing is for sure, we'll find whoever did this. And we'll do it even if we can kill every single one of these miserable humans, too!" Kanto said full of hate.

"Damn these Sacred Gear users! First, they take our place among us Devils, then they turn our master against us and now Oka is dead! How much longer will this go on!?" Kao ranted in frustration.

"We'll get our revenge! We'll go now!" Ako growled, as she spread her wings behind her back.

The piglet went wide-eyed upon seeing the leathery wings appearing from the woman's back. Now he really felt unsettled.

The woman wanted to fly off, but the man raised his hand to stop her.

"Wait! Not now! It's still daytime and we can't afford to be seen or else we will be killed like Oka. She never was that bright to begin with," Kanto said with disdain.

"Then what do we do? Just stand around until they kill us one by one!?" Ako screamed at Kanto.

"No, we wait until dusk. Then we hunt for every nook and cranny and then wipe out every single one of these Sacred Gear users in their sleep! In the meantime…" Kanto pulled both women close to him and started to feel their breasts up.

"Aaaah… Your hands are amazing…" Kao moaned.

"It feels so good…" Ako said in complete arousal, as if she had never been angry to begin with.

"I need to release this urge to kill for the moment. And having my member inside your body is just what I need…" Kanto smirked, as he pulled his pants down.

The poor piglet couldn't help but stare at the scene before him with an embarrassed face, yet still kept his guard up. Those were monsters or demons for goodness sake! He didn't know what Sacred Gear users were, but it sounded like they were out to kill As many people as possible.

What a horrible day, he was having. As if his day wasn't bad enough!

All he could do, while those monster's were having a threesome, was blame the person who brought him into this misery.

'Damn you, Sanma! This is your fault!' The piglet screamed internally.

Oh, how little did the perverted quartet know what lay ahead of them…

* * *

 **Wow, this is a record… in how negligent I have been!**

 **Sorry, for the delay.**

 **Now, there are some things I want to address in this chapter.**

 **One, is the school that our heroes will go to. It is going to be a vocational school that is career-focused. Why? Because I wanted to try something original. I mean, who has ever seen a movie, TV show, light novel (or even a manga/anime) of any kind where the story takes place in a vocational school or vocational college? Please tell me if you do know any in the comments.**

 **Granted, I'm not that well versed in all the career fields, but I'll do my best to come up with something when the three of them go through their lessons. Come to think of it, finding subjects and creating exercises for stories in general is not easy.**

 **Also, creating a school system requires some thought as well.**

 **This vocational school has three years: The first year is a general preparatory class. The second and third years train you in a certain field and once you are done and have gone through three months of practical training, you get a qualified secondary school degree, enabling you to get a job in your respective field.**

 **I based it off the school concept on the vocational school I graduated from not too long ago, along with my former working place which also focused on vocational training.**

 **Another thing is that from now on, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama will adopt my surname "Hide" and pretend to be brothers. Remember, they are still hiding from the law and can't be discovered yet. But don't worry. I will do something about the Japanese authorities soon.**

 **Lastly, as you can see we are dealing with the first Stray Devils. These will be the antagonists for this story arc, which I'll probably call the "Stray Devil Ring Arc" (I'm afraid the title may be too long for me to type in). As I was writing this arc, I had some interesting ideas on what to do with the wider Devil Society for this fanfiction .**

 **What are they? Well, you'll see soon one day.**

 **In the meantime, please read and review. I hope to hear from you.**

 **I hope to work faster the next time and I hope I won't be too busy.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	33. Chapter 25 - First Day at School

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **Boy, less than four weeks away from the last chapter. I hope it gets better from here.**

 **Anyway, on with the story.**

 **In the last chapter, our heroes went out shopping in Nerima – their new home – only to encounter a stray devil. After killing the stray devil they return to their apartment for the time being.**

 **However, unbeknownst to them, the dead stray devil (named Oka) had three more companions, namely Kao, Ako and Kanto. After hearing of their comrade's death, they swear to hunt down every Sacred Gear user and kill them.**

 **What will our heroes do next?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 25 – First Day at School

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 1:03 am – 5_ _th_ _floor, Apartment complex, Nerima_

The three teens came back to their apartment, they found the landlord Hide setting up what seems to be two double-decker beds in their bedroom. That was nice, though the three of them were instantly reminded of their time in prison and those embarrassing nights when the three of them had to share two beds each.

At least they won't have that problem now.

Anyway, Hide wrinkled his nose upon smelling Issei's dirty and bloody clothes. Upon turning around, Hide widened his eyes in shock and asked what happened. Before the three of them could speak, he changed his mind and told Issei to change his clothes and take a shower.

After Issei rinsed the dirt off his body and getting into new clothes, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama sat down on the sofas and told the landlord about what had happened.

After hearing what the three boys had to say, Hide played with the strands of his hair for a bit, before coming up with a response.

"That's quite the story there," Hide remarked, as he stopped playing with his hair. "To think that a creature like that would be stalking you just because of a grudge against Sacred Gear users…"

"Yeah…" Issei spoke with a certain feeling of discomfort. He really did not like the idea of being on somebody's radar, no matter what the motive may be.

"We managed to use a camera to track its every movement, " Matsuda told the landlord with a shudder. "Every word, every movement, its transformation… it was chilling to the bone."

"Really? How…?" Hide wanted to know, but then he realized he knew the answer. "Oh, wait! It was your Chopping Board Type 2, wasn't it? I kind of forgot that it had multiple functions, including a camera."

The boys were taken aback by Hide's knowledge of Matsuda's chopper. Seriously, how did he know? Did Monika tell him every single detail of their lives?

Before they could ask Hide that, Hide had a request.

"Say, if it's not too much to ask. May I see your helicopter?" Hide asked Matsuda.

"Sure… but why?" Matsuda asked back, while looking at his magical watch.

"I want to try something ," Hide replied.

Within five seconds, Matsuda had pressed the buttons on his watch and the Chopping Board Type 2 appeared Matsuda's lap with a flash in its miniature form.

Hide got up from the sofa and received the helicopter from Matsuda.

After observing it for a moment, Hide spoke to Phoebe.

"Phoebe? Is a camera recording of all your flights available?" Hide asked the helicopter's A. I.

{There is. However, recording can only be shown with the captain's permission} Phoebe replied monotonously, much to everybody's surprise.

"Of course. I would never use someone else's property without their permission," Hide replied, before turning his face back to Matsuda. "Is it OK if I could review it?"

Matsuda still a bit surprised at his gift's seemingly unknown function nodded .

"Sure…" he simply said. He really did not expect his helicopter to be this multifunctional. He kind of knew that the Chopping Board Type 2 was meant for stealth with its black color and ability to shrink and grow at will. But the whole camera thing, he only found out by sheer coincidence. On their way to Tokyo, Matsuda asked jokingly whether it help them peep at girls easier. To his surprise, Phoebe revealed of its camera functions and that he could view things through the small integrated cameras on its front, it's back and to its sides. That revelation alone was a big surprise for him and Issei and Motohama. But being able to record things, too…?

Then again, that should have been obvious. After all, what good would a camera be, if it couldn't film or at the very least take pictures?

"But Hide-san. Why would you want to see Phoebe's recordings?" Motohama asked Hide curiously.

"You'll see…" Hide simply answered, before Phoebe spoke up.

{Recordings can be viewed on the following options: The captain's watch or the cockpit computers. In order to watch from the cockpit computer, one would need to grow the Chopping Board Type 2 to an adequate size first} Phoebe instructed them.

Everyone assembled looked at each other and they all came to the decision to view it from the cockpit. Hide instructed them to put the chopper in an open area and move away the furniture just in case. Then, after pushing all of the furniture aside, he told Matsuda to increase its size with his controller. Once it reached its maximum size of 3,75 meters in length, 4,5 meters in rotor diameter and 1,5 meters in height (it was a tricky task trying to keep an average-sized helicopter inside an apartment!) everybody made themselves comfortable inside the helicopter to view the footage.

"Guys, why did we grow the helicopter to its maximum size again?" Motohama asked Issei and Matsuda.

"Because we won't be able to see the cockpit screen, if the chopper had been smaller. Besides, it's more comfortable this way. If we're going to go out of our way to grow the helicopter and watch something in it, might as well go all out," Issei answered, as he made himself comfortable on the co-pilot seat, while Motohama sat at the back with Matsuda.

Sitting in the pilot's seat was Shinyama Hide who was admiring the view from within the chopper. But he focused when he got to work. After some fiddling around, he found the footage archive on the board computer screen.

The boys looked at the screen curiously. On it they saw footage, showing the different camera angles of various points in time. They mostly showed either the sky, the ground from above or even themselves. This must have been their flight to Tokyo.

Eventually, Hide managed to get to the most recent recording and finally found what he was looking for. The footage in question showed the Chopping Board Type 2 being sent into the sky and hovering over the boys from a considerable height.

Then they saw it.

It was the sight of the wolf-like stray devil in humanoid disguise on a roof. Everybody saw the female devil fly down stealthily, take off her trench coat and transform into a wolf mutant. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama felt a chill up their spine once again, as they heard the stray-devil's threats once more. They still hadn't gotten over their discomfort of being **that** close to being eaten.

Eventually, the footage showed what everybody already knew. The stray devil was shot at by the Chopping Board Type 2, Issei jumps out with the Boosted Gear ready and then smashes her head in. Some blood drops splattered on the camera lens, causing the audience of four to flinch. Other than that, there was the conversation about the perverted trio complaining and arguing with each other – something the boys found rather embarrassing when seeing it from a third-person perspective.

At that point, Issei decided that what they had seen more than enough. "OK, Hide-san. There's nothing more after that. You can end the recording."

But Hide motioned his hand to silence him and said, "Wait. Watch until the end."

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama looked uncertain, but decided to let the recording go on.

Then, after some back and forth between the three teens, Matsuda gives the order to Phoebe to patrol the sky again.

'What does Hide-san still want to see? Everything we needed to know, we just saw. So why…?' Issei reasoned. But his reasoning came to a halt, once the chopper had a better view of the rooftops.

As the camera's perspective had rotated 180 degrees – presumably because the helicopter was turning and going into the opposite direction it was facing – everybody spotted something on the roof, while the camera turned.

"Whoa! Stop right there!" Matsuda ordered and the recording came to a halt. "What the heck was that!?"

"Yeah. What was that? It looked like there was someone standing on the roof just now," Motohama remarked.

Issei was also surprised. But he was even more surprised because of Hide-san's insistence that had led them to this detail. How did he know? Seriously. It was as if he knew everything, so how…?

"Always check every hint, clue or evidence to the fullest," Hide suddenly said.

"Huh?" Issei voiced, caught completely off guard by his statement.

"You thought all you needed was to check how the incident happened, right? But as you can see that is not the case. Not if you want to investigate this matter properly," Hide lectured them. "And speaking of investigating… Let's see what the camera caught…"

With the press of a button, the camera recording turned back and then Hide let go of the button.

"What the…" Issei gasped.

What the screen showed was a man standing on a roof about 50 meters away from the Chopping Board Type 2. What stood out was his appearance. However since he was so far away, they could not make out that much.

"Let me zoom in…" Hide said, as he zoomed in with a press of a button.

What everyone saw was the following:

Like the female stray devil, the man also had a trench coat. But his skin was white and scaly, his eyes were reptilian and his long hair was white. Overall, it was a very unnatural appearance.

But for everybody there, it was clear what that man was.

The Boosted Gear suddenly appeared on Issei's arm with a flash. **[A stray devil. No doubt about it. And most likely a companion of the other stray devil, too]** Ddraig concluded.

"If the similar type of coat was anything to go by…" Matsuda nodded with an unsettled look on his face.

"This can't be good… What if it comes for us? It was nearby and possibly could have seen what we did to his companion. What do we do…?" Motohama asked worried.

At this point even Issei was worried. What if that stray devil did come for them? They needed to prepare for the worst. Issei was trying to think up a solution when Ddraig interrupted his thoughts.

 **[Partner, I don't believe there is any reason to worry]** Ddraig stated calmly.

"How come?" Motohama asked surprised.

 **[Look at the image. It clearly shows the stray devil looking to our left – away from our direction. It probably did not notice us]** Ddraig answered.

"But Ddraig," Matsuda interjected. "Right after this point of time we stood in that alley for several minutes, before going home. There's still the chance it could have seen us."

 **[Unlikely, if that devil is anything like the first it would have stalked us and then Issei and I would have sensed it, but we didn't, thus proving my theory. However, if both stray devils are companions and the male one hates Sacred Gear as much as the female one, we are probably going to encounter him sooner or later]** Ddraig said.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama saw Ddraig's logic, But the idea of fighting a devil that would stalk and kill them for petty grudge did not alleviate their fears and worries.

"Look boys," Hide spoke up. "I know you've got a lot of worries, but being worried right now doesn't do you anything. What you **can** do is get ready for school tomorrow. It is your first day, after all. And speaking of which…" he got out of the pilot seat and out of the Chopping Board Type 2.

The three boys looked at each other and nodded. They got out of the helicopter as well.

Hide went to his bag (which was on the sofa), took out some writing blocks, pens, pencils, geometry triangles, folders, pencil cases and erasers. He put them on the table and said: "These things are for you. There should be one geometry triangle, two writing blocks, two pencils, two pens, one eraser and as many folders as you need for each of you. You should sort them for now, I'll go and get your school bags," Hide said, before he walked out of the apartment.

"So… what now?" Motohama asked Matsuda, Issei and Ddraig.

"What now? Shouldn't we go out to hunt that stray devil and smash its head in like the last one?" Matsuda reasoned.

"First, I'm not smashing anyone's head in. It's too messy. Second, how are we supposed to find it? It could be anywhere. And keep in mind, Tokyo is huge!" Issei pointed out.

 **[He is right, and sensing out its presence would be difficult if we don't even have a clue of its whereabouts]** Ddraig added.

"But, you were able to sense the last one," Motohama pointed out.

 **[True, but keep in mind that the last time, the stray devil was seeking us out and was at a certain proximity from us. Also, it reeked of blood and it was fresh. It probably was hunting down and killing people just minutes before. With this new stray devil, we don't know if those two factors even count]** Ddraig explained.

"So what? Are you honestly suggesting we do nothing? I mean, when the succubus came after us, we went looking for it and ultimately defeated it," Motohama argued.

"Yeah, but Motohama," Matsuda spoke up. "With the succubus we had no choice but to fight back. Not only was she attacking us, but we were also in her den. She knew where we are, who we were and what we were doing – meaning that our lives were on the line 24/7. Here, none of this applies to this situation. That devil doesn't know who we are. And even if it did and even knew where we lived, this is not its territory, so it can't come and go as it pleases like with the succubus at Sakabasu."

 **[That is indeed true. But there is yet another point we ought to consider about that devil]** Ddraig said.

"What's that?" Issei asked, as he took a seat on the sofa.

Matsuda and Motohama did the same, sitting on Issei's right and left.

 **[It is this: It could have companions or followers or allies with him. If we had gone after this stray just like that, who knows what would have happened if there were one, two or even more of them? Without proper training and planning, you could easily get yourselves killed]** Ddraig argued.

"Right…" Issei said to himself, while stroking his chin with his right arm. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Motohama looked at Issei for a while and then looking past Issei towards Matsuda.

"So… I guess that means we are not hunting this stray devil?" Motohama asked everyone present a bit awkwardly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Matsuda said with a deadpanned face.

Motohama frowned at the tone his friend was taking, but decided to say nothing.

There was silence in the living room.

That silence was only broken by the sound of Issei shuffling around the pile of school material and sorting out the things he needed, while making sure Matsuda and Motohama had their own stuff.

Matsuda and Motohama followed Issei's actions so that they ended up creating three separate sets of school material for each of them.

Even though nobody spoke a word these past few minutes, all three of them were of one accord that first things first. Deal with the things you could deal with at the moment (like school) and then worry about the rest (in this case, the stray devil).

And speaking of first things first…

"Hey, boys," Hide addressed the trio. The boys looked up and saw three brown leather school bags in Hide's hands. "These are for you."

He put them on the sofa and the boys took one each.

"There, that should be all the school stuff you need for now. If you need anything else, I'm right next door. I'll see you around," Hide said, as he made his way out the door.

"Will do," Motohama replied.

"See you. And thanks for the bags," Issei thanked Hide.

Hide nodded in appreciation and made his way out. Just then, he suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" Hide exclaimed much to everybody's surprise. "Please, don't forget to return your helicopter back to normal size and put all the furniture back to where they belong. Also, in case you three get hungry, there is Bolognese and spaghetti in the cupboard above the stove. Pots and pans are under the counter. The shopping from today is also available for your use. See you soon…"

With those words, Hide left… reminding everybody present that making your own meals regularly was always going to be a bother.

"Ah, man… I forgot about that. Making lunch…" Issei murmured.

"Do any of you know how to cook?" Matsuda asked.

"A little…" Motohama answered. He made his way towards the cupboard and took out the spaghetti package and the Bolognese jars. To his surprise, he saw something that would make their lives easier.

"Oh, look! There are instructions on the labelling! That should help us!" Motohama pointed out.

"Yup, well… let's get going…" Issei said, as he took out some pots.

"Yeah, tell us what we need…" Matsuda said, while taking one pot from Issei and putting it on the counter.

 **[Sauce and noodles? How lame]** Ddraig opined in an attempt to play the troll again. **[I personally prefer meat. Raw meat with blood on it – and some Dragon Apples, t-]**

"Nobody cares!" Issei retorted, as he dismissed the Boosted Gear to prevent Ddraig from needlessly distracting their cooking efforts.

After about an hour or so, they managed to succeed in making spaghetti and Bolognese. Granted, it was not as good like they knew it from their own homes, but it was still a decent meal and they were satisfied. The rest of the day was spent, packing their school supplies, finding the location of their school and the way there (using Hide's smartphone) and preparing and eating their dinner, consisting of rice and vegetables from the supermarket.

Admittedly, these activities might seem like a mundane everyday thing to many people, but for the three boys, this was a normal that needed some getting used to.

But the good thing was that at the end of the day, they could go to bed and rest. Matsuda and Motohama decided to take the lowest bunk beds, while Issei slept on the bed above Matsuda's bed.

Ahh… it felt good to sleep on comfy beds once more… Sleeping on cold stony ground, forest floors and even futon could not even compare to a nice and cozy bed! It really felt nice…

As Matsuda, Issei and Motohama drifted off to sleep, getting some much needed rest before a busy first day at school tomorrow, none of them realized that others would not live to see the next day…

* * *

 _16_ _th_ _September, Sunday, 11:24 pm – somewhere in the streets of Nerima_

It was a peaceful quiet night in the streets of Nerima (other than the sound of cars in the distance). The streets and alleys were empty, even though they were bustling with life earlier in the day. Only few people, if any, were out and those that were, were most likely out to take a stroll or go out for a drink. One man seemed to doing both at this time just a few minutes ago.

But right now he was…

"Help! Help me!" the man screamed, as he stumbled through the dark with bloody wounds on his face. With each second, he looked behind him, to his side and all around him, as if he was looking for some pursuer.

"Somebody help me! There are monster's here! And they are trying to kill me!" He begged for help, hoping someone could hear him.

That poor man… all he wanted to do was enjoy the night air and drink his beer when all the sudden these two women appeared and tried to seduce him. The man was single and in his mid-thirties and saw no reason to refuse them. They told him to follow them, claiming that they knew a good spot to make out.

But once they reached this "spot", something felt off. Not only did they drop their seductive flirty behavior, but also any sense of human behavior. But what made it even worse was that they transformed into these wolf-like beasts and attacked him (hence the wounds).

This lead to this poor guy to turn heel and run for his life, only thinking about getting as far from these monsters as possible.

The man looked behind him and all around him in all directions. After checking if the coast was clear, he slowed down in order to catch his breath.

"Good… it seems I lost them…" the man sneezed. In addition to being a drinker, he was also a smoker. He hadn't exercised in a long time and this sprint put a big strain on him physically. He wiped off his blood from his face. He needed to get home, wash himself and go to bed.

He was tired after all. And he needed to rest.

Oh! And by the way, it should be clarified: When I write here that the man looked in all directions, he failed to look in a certain direction…

"HOOOOWWWWLLLL!" "WAAAAAAAUUUUUUU!"

…look up.

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" the man screamed in horror only to be landed upon by the demonic wolf-like creatures and mauled to death, unable to do anything but suffer and die.

After a few minutes, Kanto comes to the scene and inspects the work his two mates have done. The man was nothing but blood, head and bloody bones.

"How did it go?" Kanto asked Ako and Kao in their wolf forms.

They licked their lips in hunger and replied with deep beastly voices.

"It went well… grrr… But unfortunately this one… grrr… hasn't discovered his Sacred Gear yet…" Ako answered with some growls.

"Grrr… Sacred Gear users must… pay…. Grrr…" Kao growled as well. "They tormented us… killed Oka… must pay for our suffering… grrr…"

"Be patient," Kanto raised his hand to calm them down. "There's no need to rush. We need to feed anyway, so don't get too worked up or you won't be able to enjoy the meal. Besides…"

Kanto gestured with a wave of his hand, telling them to follow him. They did so, leaving the man's eaten corpse behind, while allowing Kanto to finish his sentence.

"The night is still young. We can find this Sacred Gear user… and get our revenge… sooner or later…" Kanto grinned nefariously, as he spread his devil wings and flew off into the sky.

Both Kao and Ako grinned and spread their wings, before following their lover.

After their departure, all that was left behind were the remains of the poor man, who had the misfortune of having been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 7:23 am – Perverted Quartet's apartment, Nerima_

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had just gotten up and were getting ready for their first day at school. They ate some toast with butter and cheese, before heading out. Wearing their new school uniforms and carrying their school bags, they were ready to face the day.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 7:41 am – just outside Furinkan Vocational School_

The three boys got there and saw the masses of students coming in, as is usual for schools.

So, this was the place…

Now, having previously attended Kuoh Academy, Furinkan Vocational School felt quite different for our main heroes.

For one, the school building and campus were smaller. Nothing about it made it even remotely comparable to the splendor of Kuoh Academy. This school seemed rather modest by comparison.

Also, while Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were familiar with the masses of students coming in and out of Kuoh Academy, they couldn't help but feel that there were… far fewer students than they had expected. While Kuoh had about 400 students in total (if one were to leave out the middle school and college students), this school had about… 200 students at most. Then again, not too many kids go to vocational schools, so logically the number of students would be smaller, right?

Finally, there seemed to be gardens with flowers, vegetables and trees with fruit on one side, along with small ponds on the other. Pretty strange for a school to have these things. Then again, vocational schools are a whole different thing from a regular school, so what did they expect?

As the trio entered through the gates and towards the doors, Matsuda spoke up.

"Say, guys?" he asked.

Issei and Motohama were turning their heads towards him.

"We're supposed to go to the principal's office, right?" Matsuda asked his question.

"Yup. And according to the school website, it's supposed to be the left door in the main hall," Issei answered.

"They have a website? Since when?" Motohama asked in disbelief.

"Since always, _Onii-chan_ ," Issei emphasized the last word to annoy him.

"Dude, stop calling me that! Just because we are officially brothers, doesn't mean you get to call me that!" Motohama said indignantly.

"Yeah, but we have to call each other something to keep up appearances. We can't go around acting like we are not related," Issei argued.

"That doesn't have to be," Matsuda spoke up. "I know plenty of siblings who don't address each other with 'onii-chan' or something – especially brothers."

"I don't know…" Issei said unsure.

"Trust me, it won't matter. Besides, what matters the most is that we don't slip up with our names," Matsuda reminded Issei.

"Slip up with our names?" Motohama wondered.

"You know, saying: 'Hi, I am Issei Hyoudou' or something," Matsuda gave an example.

"What do you mean? My name is…" Issei wanted to say, but then stopped mid-sentence and let an "Oh…" along with Motohama. Both of them got what Matsuda wanted to say.

"You get it? From now on, we are the Hide brothers, just like our cards. See?" Matsuda pulled out an ID-card from his shirt pocket with his photo and new name on it.

"Yeah, almost forgot…" Motohama said, as he and Issei pulled out theirs. "Pretty cool, how we get to get our new ID-cards this soon."

"Yeah, though it should be asked. How did Hide-san get those cards for us in the first place? Especially at this speed!" Issei asked.

This caused Matsuda, Motohama and Issei to stand there in thought, while the students passed by to go to classes.

After a while, they just shrugged. "Eh, we can think about it some other time. We should get going," Issei answered nonchalantly.

"Agreed. That guy is a complete mystery and how someone like him does things…" Motohama continued.

"…Would take too long to figure out and we don't have the time for it either," Matsuda finished their common conclusion in perfect harmony.

And so the three of them headed in along with the rest of the students.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 7:44 am – hallway, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

The hallway was bustling with crowd of students heading to their classes, all of them heading straight towards the staircase. Issei and his two 'brothers' looked attentively for the door to the principal's office. They found it easily thanks to the sign that said so.

The door was open, so they peered in. What they saw was a student talking to a woman behind the desk, before the first one left the office. The woman behind the desk was a green-haired woman with a hairpin and glasses. She had this business suit and gave this mature sexy appeal. From appearances, they guessed her to be in her thirties or forties.

Currently, she was busy checking the paper work on her desk. What the boys noticed the most was her ample oppai.

The woman looked up from her work and took a stern look upon seeing the trio.

The trip stiffened up upon seeing her giving off a strict aura. She reminded them of Sona-kaichou back at Kuoh.

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and said, "What do you want?"

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other flabbergasted, trying to decide who should do the speaking. In the end, Matsuda took the initiative.

"We… ummm… are new students here and were supposed to come here first," Matsuda answered.

The woman's expression did not change. She looked at them with stern eyes for a while, as if she testing them.

"What are your names?" the woman in charge asked.

"Umm… my name is Matsuda Hi- I mean, Matsuda Hide," Matsuda answered, catching himself from saying his real name. "And these are my brothers: Issei and Motohama," he gestured at Issei and Motohama with his hands.

"Yeah, uh… pleased to meet you," Issei spoke up sheepishly.

"Likewise," Motohama said intimidated.

The woman just nodded and stood up. She went to a file and looked through it. After twenty seconds or so, she looked at them.

"It seems you really are new students. Matsuda Hide, Motohama Hide and Issei Hide correct?" she asked.

"Umm… yeah…" Matsuda replied.

The woman resumed her reading of what seems to be a file of records, before looking up once more.

"It says here that all three of you have been assigned to class 1-3 and your class teacher will be Miss Chisa Asumi. Asumi-sensei will be here for you in a few minutes. First, here are your timetables," the woman gave them paper sheets.

Matsuda took them and gave them to Motohama and Issei.

"I should explain about our school and what we do and also about what you will be doing," the woman said, preparing the mandatory introduction for Furinkan Vocational School to which the boys paid attention.

"First of all, my name is Yusa Misai, vice-principal of Furinkan Vocational School. Our principal is not here at the moment, which is why I am taking over his functions for the moment. Furinkan Vocational School is different from your regular school. Here, we focus on providing the necessary education to find a vocation, a job, instead of going to university. You will be studying the basic academic subjects like Modern Japanese, English, Civics, Geography, History, Home Economics, IT and PE. Other subjects like Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Arts and Chemistry will not be taught as formal subjects, but you will find them when you have Field Classes. Furthermore, you will not have Music as subject, since that is of no relevance to you here. In case you have any questions thus far, feel free to ask me," the woman said to them.

Motohama raised his hand.

"Yes?" the vice-principal known as Yusa Misai said.

"What are 'Field Classes?" Motohama wanted to know .

"Field Classes are the classes related to the future career paths that our school offers. There are six fields in total: IT, administration, manufacturing, agriculture, home economics and designing. Each of these fields lead to different career paths. For the first year, you will go through all of these fields and get a good insight as to what these career fields entail. Then once you are finished with the first year, you then choose one of the six fields and go on to continue your studies in that field for the remaining two years. During the second year, you will be required to do an internship which can go from three to six months. These can happen at different times during the year, depending on the field you choose. Any questions?" the vice-principal sacked after her explanation.

This time Issei raised his hand.

"When you say 'internship', what do you mean by that?" Issei asked.

"It means that you will have to apply for a company and get actual working experience. This is so that you can apply what you have learned into practice and learn from your internship and apply them to your studies," the woman answered, getting surprised looks from the three boys, who did not expect what they heard.

That raised more questions for the boys. This time Matsuda asked right away without raising his hand.

"But how are we supposed to apply for an internship? How do we know companies would even want to take us in to begin with – even if only for three months?" Matsuda fired away.

The woman took in his questions calmly, before replying.

"You'll find out soon enough. Your teachers will teach you how to write Curriculum Vitaes and applications soon enough. Also, we have partnerships with some companies that might take you in, so you need not worry. They know us and the needs of our students, so there is no need to worry about causing them inconveniences," the vice-principal answered neutrally, she never once changed her expression. It wasn't that she was mean or anything, but her constantly stern expression was not easy for the trio to sit through.

"What about school during those three or six months? Will we just be out there working or will there be homework or what?" Issei asked this time.

"You will be given assignments while doing the internship, but other than that you won't have any classes during the internship," vice-principal Misai answered.

The boys looked at each other with amazement. No school for six months? That sounded… pretty cool! But wait a minute…

"What about midterm and final exams? Will they be the same as in regular schools?" Issei asked once more.

"Many of the subjects will be the same Here as in regular schools. There are no differences in the curriculum, mid term or the final exams. In contrast to regular schools, you won't have…" the vice-principal counted the subjects with her fingers. "…Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Arts," she showed five fingers. "You will be tested in the Field subjects instead. As for the social sciences, you will only be required to pick two subjects. So, as a whole, the examination period will be just as tough as in a regular school, so do your best."

Just as vice-principal Misai finished saying this, a young woman with long blonde hair and a ponytail knocked on the open door and excused herself.

"Pardon the intrusion, Miss Misai, but I'm here to pick up the Hide brothers," the young woman said.

"And just in time. These three here are your students. Boys, this is Miss Chisa Asumi. She will be your class teacher from now on," the vice-principal introduced her to the boys.

Asumi-sensei smiled cheerfully. "Pleased to meet you."

"Now, boys. I hope you three will work hard here. If there should be any problems, please come to me or Miss Asumi here. Have a nice day…" the vice-principal bade them farewell.

"Now if you would follow me…" Asumi-sensei went on ahead and the boys followed right behind her.

On the way, the boys looked at her with lecherous thoughts.

She was not only blonde, but she was sexy in every way. She kind of reminded them of Monika. She wore a gray businesswoman outfit and a skirt, black leggings and high heels. She was cheerful, her ambiance radiating with positive energy. Moreover, her oppai…

"Oohhh… pretty good numbers there…" Motohama said quietly after using his famous three-size scouter.

"What are they?" Issei whispered, Matsuda also edged closer to listen.

"They are…" Motohama whispered the numbers to them, making sure Asumi-sensei didn't hear them.

"Nice…" Issei grinned lecherously.

"Yeah, really nice… Ehehe…" Matsuda giggled.

They made their way up to the first floor and towards their classroom. As they went up the stairs, they suddenly heard running footsteps coming from behind them.

"Sorry, I'm late!" a male voice called out from behind them. Asumi-sensei and the trio looked behind them and when they did…

"Argh!" "Oof!" "What!" "Kya!"

…they were bowled over by the late-coming student who bowled them over like dominoes.

It was at that moment of pain that the trio felt a sense of deja-vu. This wasn't the first time they had experienced this. In fact, just yesterday they had gone through same thing. Wasn't that bad enough already? The only thing worse would be if the culprit from last time was responsible for this one as well.

"Umm… Hide-san could you please get off me…" Asumi-sensei said with a flustered face.

Matsuda blinked until he realized with a bleeding nose that he was lying on her rear.

It turned out that Asumi-sensei fell stomach-first on the floor, followed by Matsuda who was lying on her rear and partially on the staircase. Motohama was also partially lying on the staircase further down, as well as on Matsuda. The same went for Issei in regards to Motohama. The culprit to this mess, on the other hand, was lying completely on top of Issei, much to the latter's discomfort and displeasure.

"Sanma Raotome! Why are you running in the hallway? You could have seriously injured us!" Asumi-sensei scolded, as Matsuda got off from her with a bleeding nose.

It was then that something clicked for the trio. Sanma… Raotome… where have they heard that name before? Once, they turned to look at him, they widened their eyes in shock. A black ponytail, male and that voice… Speak of the f****** devil!

"Sorry, ma'am. I overslept and I tried to get here as fast as I could," the student named Sanma Raotome apologized.

"Well, I'll excuse you this time. I myself am on my way to class with some new students," Asumi-sensei hinted at the downed trio.

"Really?" Sanma questioned.

"Yes. Now if you would kindly get off one of the Hide brothers here, we can go to…" Asumi-sensei could not finish her sentence because…

""YOU SON OF A B****!""

…Matsuda and Motohama shouted, as they threw themselves at Sanma all the sudden, as if they were playing American Football. Issei jumped into the fray as well.

"THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU DID THIS TO US!" Matsuda shouted while punching Ranma's stomach.

"YOU AND THAT BANDANA GUY ALMOST GOT US KILLED YESTERDAY! WE THOUGHT THAT MOB WAS GONNA KILL US FOR SURE!" Motohama raged. He pinned Ranma's arms down.

"NOW IT'S PAYBACK TIME, YOU PIECE OF- Urgh!" Issei was pinning Ranma's legs down, but Sanma managed to break from his predicament by kneeing Issei in the chin.

While Issei fell back in a daze, Sanma pulled in both legs to his chest and then lashed out with his feet at the punching Matsuda. The kick hit his face, sending Matsuda flying and landing on the stairs with a thud. With Motohama, Sanma kicked him in the face, sending him tumbling down the staircase.

All this within three seconds.

"All right. That's enough!" Asumi-sensei called out to all the brawler involved. "Violence is not the answer! Just because someone accidentally hurts you, doesn't mean you should retaliate!"

"But that son of a b**** did this to us once before! We almost died because of him!" Issei pointed at Sanma accusingly, while checking his neck for any injuries.

"Hey, look. I'm sorry. Ok? It's not my fault that everybody was bothering me again," Sanma tried to argue.

"What the heck are you talking about…?" Motohama growled as he got up.

"When people bother me it leads to these wild goose chases," Sanma explained.

"Regardless," Asumi-sensei cut in. "It doesn't excuse what happened just now. You will all apologize to each other. Understood?"

The boys stared blankly and sighed.

"Sorry, fer running ya guys over…" Sanma said.

"Sorry for attacking ya…" Matsuda apologized on behalf of them all. Issei and Motohama nodded in affirmation.

"Good. Now, let us get going. We shouldn't keep the class waiting," Asumi-sensei said, as she went ahead.

Sanma, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama followed silently.

After a few seconds, something else clicked in Issei's mind upon seeing Sanma follow their new teacher.

'Wait a minute! This Sanma guy is in our class!?' Issei realized in shock.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 8:08 am – Class 1-3, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

Introductions went fast. The trio introduced themselves as the Hide brothers, stated their names, age and hobbies. Overall, the class found it cool to get three brothers in one class, but didn't seem comfortable with their open love for porn (especially the girls). Their fake cover was almost blown apart by one curious questioner who asked why their age were so close together, if they were brothers. That almost caught them off guard. They did not prepare for such a question and were flabbergasted beyond belief. Thankfully, Issei managed to tell them that they were not real siblings, but rather adopted cousins and… the class bought it.

As for the bruises on their faces and Ranma's also… Well, neither they nor Sanma wanted to talk about it. Yet , Asumi-sensei gave the explanation that they bumped over each other and fell over. Somewhat illogical, but the students decided not to question it any further.

Now that introductions were over, they were learning about Modern Japanese. Not too bad the lesson, but right now neither of them were in the mood to think about class.

They still had to get used to their new environment and the people around them – especially their classmate Sanma. And to think that within a span of about half a month ago, they were sitting in three different learning institutions…

Another thing that bothered them was the stray devil affair.

Matsuda wondered just what that male devil was up to now. Was it devouring some more Sacred Gear users like his comrade? One thing was for sure, they have got to have a plan. Only question: Where to find a clue of its whereabouts?

Motohama thought about what they were to do, should they come across the stray devil. He may have a dead. But the only way, he could retrieve the seax was by getting it out of the Chopping Board Type 2, which he put in there for safekeeping. In other words, it was useless unless Matsuda was there to summon that chopper and help him retrieve it. Relying on his gloves alone was not good enough. What if the enemy got close? There's little to no way, he could in close-quarter combat. If only, he could carry the seas around him at all times... without being arrested by the police. And if only he could summon and dismiss it at will…

Issei was thinking about how many stray devils there were out there and if the male stray devil was working with others. He did not know for sure, but he couldn't leave that out of consideration. Which leads them to the next problem: What if the stray devils decide to attack Matsuda and Motohama, while he was distracted? They may have good weapons, but that did not make them invincible. Issei had to think on how to help them when the time comes.

Despite their mulling, they still did their best to follow the lesson. It was their first day at Furinkan Vocational School after all and they had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 9:32 am – cantina, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

It was recess and Issei, Matsuda and Motohama went out into the cantina. There were plenty of students getting food or drink and just chatting with each other. Not too shabby. At least the cantons hall was quite big…

Anyway, our heroes are also discussing among themselves, albeit on some serious issues…

"You know, I don't think we should spend our time wracking our heads with supernatural beings for now. We don't have any leads on that stray devil and can't do anything for the moment. Let us talk about peeping instead," Issei suggested.

…only to then talk about some dumber topic instead.

"Yeah, good idea. I just hope there is a gym hall and a girl's locker room here," Motohama rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"Yeah! It has been so long…" Matsuda said with excitement.

"Yeah, let's grab a bite later. Let's go scouting!" Issei announced, as the three headed out to look for the gymnasium.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 9:34 am – hallway, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

The three of them had split up and were searching individually. Issei was currently looking for the gym hall.

But how was he supposed to find it? Maybe, it was best to ask around…

Upon rounding up a corner, Issei bumped into someone – for the third time now! This was getting tiresome… just how high was the chance that one could run into such a situation more than once a day?

And speaking of coincidences…

"You… huh?" Issei growled, as he immediately recognized the student by his red bandana. He was the guy who was chasing Sanma just yesterday, only to bulldoze them like an ox. He was about to tear into him, had Issei not noticed his face.

He seemed pale… like he was shocked or afraid or something like that.

The boy just got up absentmindedly. "Sorry…" he simply said, before going his way… had Issei not pulled his sleeve.

"Dude, are you all right?" Issei asked concerned, forgetting about his anger completely. "You look pale…"

"It… it's nothing…" the bandana boy said quietly.

"No way that looks like nothing to me. You can tell me. It's the least you can do to make up for running into me twice," Issei told him. Honestly, Issei wasn't sure where this concern for a total stranger came from – more so for somebody who had wronged him. But he just did for some instinctive reason.

"Wait. Running into you twice?" the boy questioned.

"You trampled me and my frie- I mean brothers just yesterday. And this one, marks the second time. But anyway, why the long face?" Issei asked.

The bandana boy sighed, as he mustered his will to speak.

"Just yesterday, I happened to come across beings that can't possibly exist…" the bandana boy started to explain.

This piqued Issei's interest.

"What beings?" Issei queried.

"Beings that ate anything and anyone they saw. I saw came across two of them and they were trying to do that to me. Then there were three of them and they were talking about somebody killing one of their comrades or something… I managed to hide so… I was safe… they talked about looking for… umm… what was it…? Oh, yeah! Sacred Gear users…" the boy elaborated.

Issei widened his eyes. Could it be…?

"Yo, Issei! You there? We found the gym!" Matsuda's voice came from behind. Both Issei and the bandana boy whirled around to see Matsuda and Motohama approach them.

"Yeah, and the girl's locker room, too! This is gonna be great! Think of all the boobs we are gonna see!" Motohama exclaimed with excitement.

But Issei quickly silenced them. "Guys, forget peeping! We've got a lead! This guy here… uhh… What's your name?" Issei asked the bandana boy.

"Ryuga Nabiki," the boy replied.

"Yeah… Ryuga here found a lead," Issei told them.

This confused them. "Found a lead to what?" Motohama asked Issei.

"That stray devil! This guy saw them! And two more of them as well!" Issei told Matsuda and Motohama.

"Seriously!?" Matsuda asked with widened eyes.

"Right when we are about to go peeping…?" Motohama groaned.

"Yes," Issei said, as he turned back to Ryuga. "Tell us, man. Tell us everything you saw…"

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 25 of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **I hope I did not bore you with all the details about the school and such. But I needed to get them out of the way so that you can get a clear idea on what awaits our heroes in the future (when it comes to school at least). Coming up with the idea on what their curriculum should be like is not easy. I had to do research on Japanese schools and draw from my own vocational school experiences and models to create this one.**

 **I also should mention that vice-principal Yusa Misai and Chisa Asumi are original characters. They are not based off anyone in particular.**

 **As for the characters who are based on other characters, they are: Sanma Raotome and Ryuga Nabiki. Both of them will have their curses as their original counterparts Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki, so you can see a lot of fun in that regard.**

 **As for the stray devils and their latest victim… you'll see what the trio does about that later…**

 **And… here is a bonus about a character I had forgotten about. Here is… Aika Kiryuu!**

 **Enjoy…**

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 9:35 am, Kuoh Academy, Kuoh_

A light-haired brunette with pig-tailed and glasses And the Kuoh Academy uniform was walking down the hallway when she spotted those three pretty boys from the second year cozying up to all those fangirls.

She could never understand why anybody would want to share a guy like they did, but apparently they had no problem with it.

Nevertheless, seeing those girls fawn over these boys and act like they were at the top of the world and everyone was beneath them… That really ticks her off…

Hence, why she came up this plan.

"My dear girls…" one of the three pretty boys said. "…all of ye are wonderful, but ye have to wait your turn…"

"See! Franz likes me more! I'm so much better than you!" a blonde girl said, while straddling him.

"Not fair! It's my turn now!" a dark-blonde girl whined.

"Your turn? What about mine? Those two girls over there have been sitting on Berthold's and Friedrich's lap for five minutes! Far longer than that Blondie on Franz's lap!" a brunette with long hair complained.

"Please, be patient my dears…" Friedrich said.

"And no bickering… It does not become ye…" Berthold gently reprimanded them.

"Yes, Berthold-sama!"

"Kyaa! He told us to stop bickering!"

"I wanna get pregnant with all your babies… Hehehehe…"

They all squealed with delight and lust. One girl was even trying to cool herself by using her hand as a fan.

"I feel so hot. I could take my clothes off right here and now…" a silver-haired girl with braids said.

"No problem," a voice said from behind her.

"Huh? KYAAA!?" the girl screamed, as something tore up her shirt, leaving her topless except for bra.

She looked behind her, but there was no assailant.

"KYAAAH!?" another girl screamed. When the first girl looked she saw that the top of the other girl's uniform was torn off, too.

This time nobody could be seen either.

"KYAA!" "KYAA!" "WHY ARE CLOTHES RIPPING APART!?"

More and more screams and yells and topless girls could be seen in a matter of seconds.

Nobody could be seen tearing them off. It was as if a ghost had done all.

Friedrich, Berthold and Franz were looking on with surprise and arousal.

"My what beautiful bodies…" Franz swooned.

"Those colorful bras… those creamy-skin bodies… so lovely…" Berthold licked his lips.

"Why my lovely maidens, I didn't know he wanted sexual intercourse with us so badly," Friedrich said with mirth and arousal.

"What the heck!? Why are you taking your clothes off, you whores!?" the girl on Franz's lap cried in outrage at not being the center of her lover's attention.

"It's not us! Somebody tore them off!" one girl yelled back embarrassed, while covering her chest.

"But who? I didn't see anyone behind me or anyone else rip my clothes off," another girl said.

"Me neither! How is this even possible!? Who could be doing this!?" a third girl said in outrage.

Well, had they looked around more carefully, they would have noticed strings with hooks attached to pieces of shred school uniforms pulled by Aika Kiryuu, who was hiding behind in the bushes.

"Hehehe… when people are distracted, it's quite easy to hook up multiple hooks on their clothes and pull them without anyone noticing. Take that you stuck-up wannabe models…" Aika said with glee.

Yes, ever since the perverted trio had been sent to jail, she could no longer humiliate or embarrass anybody with her perverted antiques like she used to. Now, it wasn't impossible to do that with other boys, but to her it just wouldn't be the same.

However, that wasn't the only reason.

Ever since the "Blood in The Classroom Incident", students have become more hateful to the mere memory of the perverted trio and their peeping antiques. Beating up Karen Shinonon, Mina Natsumiya and Mikasa Ito was the icing on the cake – a big layer at that, too.

Because of this, Karen and Mina, who still have the injuries from the incident have promoted an anti-pervert sentiment in Kuoh Academy – in ways even the Kendo Club could not match. Mikasa was not involved, since she was still in a coma.

Aika herself would become more ostracized than before, but that didn't prevent her from doing pervy things, like this prank for example.

And so far, she enjoyed it every moment of it.

While she rubbed her hands in glee, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She looked around and was stunned to see that Murayama and Katawe with their shinais in their hands.

"Kiryuu-san… what are you doing?" Murayama asked with an ominous smile.

"Ehehehe… playing with strings?" she replied sheepishly.

After the break had ended and everyone had returned to class, everyone noticed that Aika had a bump on her head.

* * *

 **Please read and review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **And I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	34. Chapter 26 - The Trail of Clues

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **So, here we are at the latest chapter.**

 **Last time, our heroes have investigated about the appearances of beings known as stray devils hin Nerima.**

 **However, they could only do so much – until they came across a student named Ryuga Nabiki on their first day of school, claiming he had seen "monster".**

 **What did he see? Will it lead the Perverted Quartet to the stray devils?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 26 – The Trail of Clues

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 9:37 am – cafeteria, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had just taken a seat at one of the cafeterias tables. In addition to them sat this traumatized and pale young man named Ryuga Nabiki. Just a few minutes ago, Ryuga had just revealed that he had seen what seemed to be stray devils. Issei wasn't one hundred percent sure if that was the case, but he had to ask him just to be sure. Thankfully, he was cooperative and was willing to tell the trio his story. Although, he had to ask something…

"So… are you guys new here?" Ryuga asked them.

"Yup," Matsuda answered with a nod. "I am Matsuda Hibi- I mean, Matsuda Hide! And these are my little brothers Motohama and Issei!" Matsuda quickly corrected himself, before then introducing the other two "brothers".

Motohama and Issei couldn't help but frown at how Matsuda introduced them along with the fact that he almost said his real name. And to think that he had told them earlier not to make any such mistakes…

Thankfully, Ryuga didn't seem to react to that and instead simply nodded in affirmation.

"Well, yeah… I'm Ryuga Nabiki. I'm fifteen years old and I practice martial arts. Pleased to meet you," Ryuga introduced himself once again.

The Hide "brothers" nodded back . All they wanted to do was just ask Ryuga here about what he had seen yesterday, only for there to be awkward small talk.

Clearing his throat, Issei took the initiative to get to the heart of the matter.

"So, Ryuga," Issei started, trying his best to put on his best getting-down-to-business face. "You said a few minutes ago that you ran into some monsters yesterday. The kind you said couldn't possibly exist. What happened exactly? Tell us from the beginning."

Ryuga couldn't help but wrinkle his eyebrows at Issei's behavior.

"Why do you guys even want to know? What's it in for you?" Ryuga asked them wearily.

"We… just do…" Issei replied hesitatingly, while looking away for a moment. But he turned his gaze back to Ryuga, the moment he came up with an appropriate response. "We kind of wanted to know what these monsters were you were talking about. That's all."

Ryuga dropped his frown. It appeared he was satisfied with Issei's answer. It was then that he began to speak.

"It all began when I chasing my rival Sanma Raotome when…" Ryuga said when Motohama interrupted him.

"Raotome? You mean that jerk with the pigtail?" Motohama asked.

Ryuga raised his eyebrows. "You know him?" he asked Motohama.

"Yeah! Jerk ran us over yesterday. He had all these people following us that almost trampled us to death," Motohama explained, while seething at the memory.

"Come to think about it, you were among them, too. Weren't you, Nabiki-san?" Issei said with a stern look at Ryuga, who withered back.

"I was? Oh, so that was you at that time? Sorry about that…" Ryuga apologized. "I was so pissed at Sanma for insulting Nakane because of her cooking that I couldn't see anyone else in front of me…"

The boys frown at Ryuga, but decided not to let that matter distract from the current topic. At the same time, Issei couldn't help but ask about something.

"Who is Nakane?" Issei wanted to know.

"Raotome's fiancée," Ryuga says with a frown. "Even though he has such a wonderful fiancée he just takes her for granted and insults her all the time. She is such a wonderful girl and I will never understand why anybody would do something like that to someone like her. Too bad she only hangs around him the whole time," Ryuga stated with a sigh.

The boys drop their frowns and nod in understanding. So, it was a love triangle. And he had an unrequited love. Interesting…

Flustered at how much he told them, Ryuga goes back to the original topic. "Anyway, back to it. I was chasing Sanma on a roof and was so close to getting him when I tripped and fell into a pool and… umm…"

Matsuda noticed Ryuga's hesitation. "And what?" Matsuda asked.

Ryuga shook his head strongly. "Never mind. It's not important. Anyway, I got out and by the time I did, I had completely lost him. I tried my best to find him, but couldn't."

"What about the crowd chasing Sanma? Did they find him?" Issei asked next.

Ryuga shook his head again. "Nope. And to be honest, I didn't even know where they were either – not that I cared anyway. Now where was I again…?"

"You were chasing Raotome," Matsuda helped him.

"Right! Ahem… Well, I looked and low for him all across Nerima but no Sanma anywhere. I was just about to give up and go home until I heard a suspicious sound," Ryuga elaborated.

"A suspicious sound? What kind of sound?" Motohama asked.

Ryuga tried to figure out how to describe it and came up with an explanation after a few seconds. "It sounded like… nibbling and squirting…" Ryuga explained, as he became visibly uncomfortable as his story went on.

Issei noticed this. "You all right? You're getting pale again…" he said with concern.

"I'm fine… though when it comes to this part, I'd rather not talk about it…" Ryuga said, while shifting uncomfortably.

"Ok, then-" Issei wanted to offer a solution, but Ryuga cut him off.

"But I still want to do this! I came this far, so now I am going through with it. What kind of man would I be if I wasn't even able to speak of my fears, let alone face them?" he stated with passion and boldness.

Matsuda, Issei and Motohama stayed silent. It seemed like Ryuga here had some kind of manly pride in him that drove him to continue. Issei motioned Ryuga to go on.

"Well, I heard this suspicious sound and approached it. I didn't know who or what was making that voice. Part of me was thinking it was a rat or several rats eating from the dumpster. Another part was thinking it was Sanma, even though I wasn't sure why I thought it was him in the first place. Whatever the case, I snuck to the place where the noise came from and was just around… the corner…" Ryuga told them.

"And what did you see?" Matsuda asked with clear interest. It seemed like this is where it was getting interesting.

Ryuga gulped as he continued. "I looked… and I saw… two women… eating something…" he said uneasily.

Issei looked confused. "Two women eating something?" he asked, unsure as to why that should be frightening to anybody.

"How did they look like?" Motohama wanted to know.

Ryuga tried to think back, before answering. "They… had long red hair and were wearing trench coats. I guess they were in their twenties or thirties by their appearances. However, they didn't behave like normal people. I thought, 'Wait a minute. Why on earth are these chicks eating in a back alley like this? Surely there were plenty of places where you could eat – without being in the immediate vicinity of a trash can'. But then I saw… what they were eating. That was when I realized something… was wrong…" he said as his face paled even more.

This piqued Issei's, Matsuda's and Motohama's interest.

"What was it?" Matsuda asked urgently.

"Yeah, and what were they eating?" Motohama asked as well.

Ryuga gulped again and tried his best to muster his courage. "They were… eating… rats… hair, head, tail and all…

"WHAT!? EATING RATS!?" Issei bellowed out loudly, causing the entire cafeteria to look at him and everyone at the table.

Realizing the attention his outburst caused, Issei just looked away from the multitude flustered.

"Dude! Don't shout. You're causing a scene," Matsuda put a finger in front of his lips.

"Yeah. Keep it down," Motohama said with a frown.

"Sorry…" Issei answered sheepishly. Thankfully, most of the students turned their attention to their own business, though some of them were still whispering about Issei behind their back.

"So anyway, you said they are rats, right? And that was what made you conclude they were monsters or something, right?" Matsuda asked Ryuga.

Ryuga nodded. "Yeah! It was the creepiest thing. But to make matters worse, they discovered me and I had to run for my life like a coward. Normally, I wouldn't do that, but given the circumstances I was in, I didn't have much of a choice! The way they looked at me… the way they called me food with their inhuman voices… it really terrified me… Luckily, I lost those two monster women by hiding in a trash bin in an alleyway. I can still smell the scent on me… ugh… As if being frightened to your bones wasn't bad enough… But make sure you guys don't tell anyone else about it. Clear?" Ryuga added with a threatening undertone.

"No problem, man! Your secret is safe with us!" Motohama assured him.

"Yeah. You can count on us," Matsuda added in.

Ryuga snorted. "Good!"

"And? Was that it?" Issei asked Ryuga.

Not quite," Ryuga said, while shaking his head. "Those two women eventually came to the place where I was hiding. Thankfully, they never bothered to check the bins, so they never found me. Downside is, they stayed there for quite a long time. I had to sit in that stinking trash can for what seemed like ages until someone else came."

"Someone else?" Matsuda asked this time.

"Yeah. Some guy with a trench coat just like those two women. He also had white-scales for skin and long gray hair. He kind of looked like a human-reptile mutant. Really creepy… Oh, and he also had wings like that of a bat. He even came flying in. That's when I realized that he was the same as those monster women. So I stayed as quiet as possible and made sure not to move a muscle – not that wasn't doing that from the start anyway…" Ryuga explained.

Upon hearing Ryuga's description of the third person that joined in, they all came to the same conclusion.

"It's him. No doubt about it," Motohama whispered to Issei and Matsuda.

"Yeah, it is," Issei whispered back. "The description fits him perfectly.

"Umm… What are you guys talking about?" Ryuga asked the trio, suspicious at being left out.

"Never mind… we were just… discussing theories. That's all. So anyway… What happened then?" Matsuda asked Ryuga.

Ryuga wrapped his arms in front of his chest and tried to remember.

"Let me see… the male monster seemed to be angry for some reason. Said something about someone killing someone named Kao… the three of them got angry and talked about killing every human they could find… then the guy told them to wait until night and then go hunting… Oh, yeah! They also said something about killing 'Sacred Gear Users' if I remember right. I don't what these 'Sacred Gear Users' were but whatever the case, it gave me the creeps…" Ryuga shuddered.

To his surprise Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were the ones whose faces became pale this time. They stared to the floor with some kind of horrifying realization.

Ryuga couldn't help but snap his fingers to get their attention. "Umm… guys? You there?" Ryuga asked the boys.

The boys snapped back to attention.

"Sorry… Nabiki-San. We just had to process what you just said…" Motohama explained, as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Are you guys OK?" Ryuga asked them in concern (there was an irony in this, considering his and the trio's roles have switched here).

"Yeah, yeah… no problem… We… uh… just had to take it all in. That's all…" Issei told Ryuga.

"Yeah, no problematic all. Anyway, what happened then?" Matsuda wanted to know.

Ryuga frowned at their behavior. To him it seemed like they were hiding something, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure. Nevertheless, Ryuga resumed his narration.

"Well, after that. They decided to wait out the time and have sex with each other. It wasn't… easy to look at and it was all the more disturbing when I saw them transform into these wolf-like beasts with snakes for tails and then have sex again in those forms. Man… was that bad… I still have nightmares about that…" Ryuga shuddered.

The trio simply looked at each other with uncertainty, before facing Ryuga again, while he resumed his narration.

"Eventually after an hour or two they flew off to who knows where. I heard them say they needed to get back to 'their hideout'. That was when I finally get out of that filthy bin and head home. I took a bath and washed myself thoroughly because of the smell. Even after all that, I think I can still smell it, along with the memories of that day…" Ryuga said, finishing his tale.

The boys said nothing for the moment. They were deep in thought at what Ryuga said. But one thing was for sure.

That was definitely the male stray devil they had seen on the Chopping Board Type 2's footage. And to make matters worse, not only was he out for revenge for the death of his companion, he also had two more stray devil companions just like the one Issei had killed.

This wasn't good… one was bad enough. But three… What if there were more than that? The three of them (plus Ddraig) had to be prepared.

Oh, well. First things first. At least they had a trail…

That was when Issei had an idea. Ryuga could…

"Hey, Ryuga," Issei addressed the bandana boy.

"Huh?" Ryuga said.

"Can you show us where you met them?" Issei requested.

"Huh!?" Ryuga voiced incredulously with his eyes bulging out in shock.

"You heard me. Can you show us where you saw those stray devils?" Issei repeated himself.

Ryuga shook his head. "No way! After my near-death escape I don't want to go anywhere near that place. Are you out of your mind!? Besides, they probably flew off to their hideout or wherever it is they normally hide. So, there's nothing to see in that dirty alleyway anyway," Ruga argued earnestly. It was clear that he was still shaken up by his experiences there.

"You know, I think he's right," Motohama agreed. "Hate to say this, but for all we know these devils could be anywhere."

"Then what? We should just sit here and wait for them to strike at innocent people?" Issei argued back with an undertone of anger.

"Nothing like that, man," Matsuda spoke up in a bid to calm Issei down.

"Then what should we do?" Issei asked Matsuda and Motohama seriously. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. We've got to do something about those stray devils. More so, if they're looking for us. Someone has to do something. If we won't, then… then…"

Issei's rant was cut short by the memories of his parents' deaths. He breathed heavily and angrily at the prospect of someone like his parents dying.

Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes at Issei's behavior in surprise. Ryuga was likewise surprised and froze in place.

Nobody said a word because of how tense the atmosphere had become. Until…

"Man, the local news has become quite crazy," one of the many students in their immediate vicinity said to his companion.

"No kidding. First, they report about a frozen wasteland on the banks of the Arakawa River near Wako. And now they're talking about a corpse with only bones and pieces of flesh remaining. They say the victim was eaten by – get a load of this – wolves! I mean, come on! Wolves in the middle of the city?" his companion scoffed at how seemingly unrealistic the newspaper in his hands reported.

All four boys immediately whirled around upon hearing this. Did they just…?

"I know their sales aren't particularly good, but really? They really have to resort to fake news?" the first student asked his companion.

"Totally. As though we don't have enough of that," the second student agreed, before crumpling the newspaper into a ball and tossing it into the nearest dustbin.

After the students had gone their way, Issei went to the bin and took it out. Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga approached Issei from behind. The three of them peered over Issei's shoulders as Issei opened up the crumpled newspaper to read its contents.

And that was when they saw the article they were looking for.

"Possible Wolf Scourge in Nerima?" Issei read the article out loud. "Warning – Graphic description: Police report that just this morning that a corpse of a man has been found with only his head and most of his flesh torn off. The victim's clothes were found scattered within the immediate vicinity of the dead victim. Autopsy results indicate that the man has been killed by perpetrators with canine teeth – possibly wolves. This has been compounded by the presence of bloody paw prints left behind at the scene. According to reports, there has been no trail, as the prints only exist near the victim's remains. The victim himself has been identified as Hitoshi Kamiya, a sales man, aged 35 and unmarried. The police has described this as a messy and gruesome killing, one in which even hardened law enforcement had a hard time working on. 'We don't know where these wolves came from – if they are wolves that is – or where they could be hiding. But one thing is for sure. We will be vigilant and we will make sure that this never happens again,' says a Nerima Ward Police spokesman to the press this morning. More to follow soon…"

Once Issei finished reading the newspaper article, the four boys were unsettled by what they had read and remained silent. That silence would be broken by Motohama.

"Pretty descriptive, but it's definitely them. What do we do next?" Motohama asked Issei and Matsuda.

"I think that's obvious. We check it out after school. We're heading there as soon as we can," Matsuda answered. He then headed out to the hallway with Motohama following him.

"I'll take this along…" Issei said, while making the newspaper into a roll and following his buddies.

As they reached the hallway, Ryuga suddenly caught up with them and blocked their way.

"Wait a minute. Hold on! Why are you so interested in these monsters? What's your game? You think you're detectives or crime fighters or something?" Ryuga demanded from the trio.

This caught the three boys of guard. They looked at each other nervously. Come to think about it, their questioning of a student they just met did seem kind of suspicious to any rational person – more so when it came to the topic of supernatural beings.

This was bad.

All they wanted from Ryuga were answers. They didn't want to drag him, an outsider with no involvement to the supernatural, into this mess. What should they do? They needed to say something…

That was when Issei stepped forward and laid a shoulder on Ryuga.

"Let me put it this way: Supernatural occurrences are our hobby," Issei simply told him, before moving past him.

Matsuda and Motohama quickly passed by, leaving Ryuga just standing there. He only turned to look at them, but didn't follow them. It seemed as if he was trying to make sense of Issei's answer.

Matsuda and Motohama sighed out relieved. However, they did have one issue with what Issei said.

"Dude! What's up with that? What kind of answer was that?" Motohama demanded.

"Yeah, it sounded so cheesy, like these one-liners you see in movies!" Matsuda critiqued.

"Hey, I had to think of something. Didn't I? What would you have said in my place?" Issei challenged them.

Matsuda and Motohama said nothing and just walked in silence with Issei.

Matsuda glanced at a clock. It was 9:49 am.

"Dang it!" Matsuda cursed to himself.

"What is it now?" Issei asked, while facing behind him.

"The break is almost over! We couldn't even find a good peeping spot!" Matsuda answered vexed.

Motohama slapped his forehead. "Oh yeah! I forgot about it!" he said in realization. "We were so caught up in this stray devil business that we forgot about our passion!"

"Well, there's still next break. We'll work on it right away. After that we'll deal with whatever planning we need for the stray devils. So, come on. We should head to class…" Issei told Matsuda and Motohama, They headed upstairs with a number of other students to their next class.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 3:16 pm – on the way to the crime scene, Nerima_

Their first school day had ended. They had to say, it wasn't too bad.

The classes they had that day after Japanese were English, Geography and Civics. The lessons weren't too hard to follow, but the material they were learning was quite different from what they had learned in Kuoh and Sakabasu. Their teacher made sure that the trio was brought up to speed.

Speaking of which, what was most interesting was that all the subjects on Monday were taught by Asumi-sensei. They found out that in addition to being their class teacher, she was also responsible for teaching them all the non-vocational academic subjects, in this case: Japanese, English, Geography, Civics, History and PE.

They had to admit, Asumi-sensei was the best thing about the school so far. It was great to have a hot teacher in their class all day. She really had a nice rack at size D… sexy clothes with a skirt and nice long legs with leggings and low-heeled mary-janes… Matsuda couldn't help but lustily wondering whether she could do the splits. She taught PE, so why not?

The downside to it all was that there were more boys than girls in this class, something quite different from Kuoh Academy, a former all-girls school. This meant that there were a lot fewer girls to ogle at or to get as girlfriends. To make matters worse, if any of the gossip they heard going around in class was any indicator, it did not make their popularity any better. Maybe they should have just left out their porn hobbies when they introduced themselves…

Speaking of their hobbies, unfortunately they could not find a place to peep. No holes and no way to enter the gym hall premises (because the doors are locked). All they could do was just stare through the glass door and sigh and come with another plan later.

And because of that, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had to deal with the stray devil killings and how to go on from there. After much discussion and arguing, they decided… to just go the scene where the dead victim was found and see what else to do. They could not agree on anything else.

Issei originally wanted Ryuga to lead them to where he had last seen the stray devils. But Ryuga was still traumatized and frightened by the whole incident that he refused Issei's request again. He could not even tell them where the encounter took place because of his bad sense of direction.

And thus, the trio were on their way of the crime scene, about 150 meters away from where they lived.

It was not too far away from the Neko Neko Restaurant by the way, which is known for its Chinese delicacies. Besides the Neko Neko Restaurant there were a whole bunch of other restaurants there. They really wanted to visit these places and try out their food. For now, however, they decided to just but some take-away okonomiyaki at a stall nearby.

They approached the stand and the girl tending it looked at them and asked, "Can I get your order?"

"Yeah, umm… three normal take-away okonomiyaki please," Matsuda spoke on their behalf.

"All right, coming right up!" The girl said as she turned to her grill and started cooking.

While the boys waited for their okonomiyaki, they conversed on issues related to their "hobby", as Issei put it to Ryuga earlier.

"So, we get to the crime scene and then what? There's no way the cops are gonna let us check the scene of the crime. We're not qualified detectives or anything," Matsuda pointed out.

"I know," Issei admitted with a frown. "But what else are we supposed to do? Ryuga won't help us. Heck, he can't even tell us where he met those stray devils. So, the only thing we can do for now is to check the scene of the crime."

"But then how are we to find these stray devils?" Motohama asked Issei.

"I don't know. We just got to figure it out when we get there," Issei answered.

"That doesn't sound like much of a plan," Matsuda commented with a deadpan expression.

"Hey, you come up with a better idea!" Issei retorted.

Matsuda did not change his expression, but decided not to continue this conversation and look away, just hoping to get his okonomiyaki. Issei did the same, while Motohama looked up into the sky and closed his eyes in order to clear his mind.

He focused and focused… before he gave up. The smell of cooked okonomiyaki distracted his concentration. Sheesh! His hunger just disturbed his concentration. If only he could block out the smell! The smell was so strong, he could probably smell it from far away!

Wait a minute…

Smell it from far away?

"That's it!" Motohama exclaimed loudly, much to Issei's, Matsuda's and the okonomiyaki girl's surprise. They looked at him startled and bewildered, much to Motohama's embarrassment.

"Ummm… sorry… uh… please carry on…" Motohama said to the okonomiyaki girl, who simply resumed her grilling.

"Dude, what the heck was that all about?" Matsuda demanded from Motohama.

"Yeah! You scared the living crap out of us! Something on your mind?" Issei asked with a stern look.

"Well, yeah… I just figured out a way to find these stray devils," Motohama told them.

This got him surprised looks from Issei and Matsuda.

"Y-you do?" Issei asked surprised.

"Yup. And we don't even have to bother the investigators," Motohama smiled smugly.

"Like how?" Matsuda asked Motohama.

"Why by using Issei's dragonized nose. It can smell and tell apart different supernatural creatures apart, right?" Motohama asked Issei.

Seeing where he was going, Issei nodded, though he had an objection. "Yeah, but I have no idea how stray devils smell like."

"That's no problem," Motohama stated with confidence. "All we have to do is go to the crime scene and have you sniff out the stray devil's scent and then use it to track them down."

Issei and Motohama let out an "Ahhhh!".

Just then the okonomiyaki girl finished her grilling and said, "Here are your okonomiyaki. That would be ¥2.400."

Issei fished out his pocket and gave her the money. In return, the three boys took their okonomiyaki and went on their way.

"This is great! We're going to find these devils in no time. Great job by the way," Issei complimented Motohama.

"No problem. Ehehehe…" Motohama said as he rubbed the back of his head shyly.

However, that was when the Boosted Gear showed up on Issei's arm with Ddraig having some words to say about the matter.

 **[People. While Motohama's idea is not a bad one, there is one problem with this approach]** Ddraig told everyone.

"There is?" Issei asked, while scratching his head.

 **[Indeed. And that is the ability to find their scent over great distances. They could be hiding anywhere in this huge city. They might not even be in this city at all. For all we know, they could live in the outskirts or even in the Underworld and come out to this world from time to time. There are many possibilities]** Ddraig pointed out to them.

At this, everybody's mood became downcast and mumbled in despair.

"It can't be…" Issei said in shock.

"Ah, man… I should have known it was too true to be good…" Matsuda sighed.

"Why didn't I think of that…?" Motohama mumbled defeated.

 **[People! It's not the end of the world! That will come when Trihexa arrives and not until then. And even that can be prevented with enough effort]** Ddraig talked about things the trio had no idea of.

The three teens looked at the Boosted Gear in confusion because of what Ddraig said.

 **[What I'm trying to say is that it's not over and until it is, we still have hope. While, I did say that it will be very difficult to find their scent in this huge city, it is better to have a small lead than nothing at all. So therefore I suggest we go to the scene of the crime, before the scent disappears. Understand?]** Ddraig asked them sternly.

The boys nodded their heads quickly and headed to the scene. They ate their okonomiyaki on the way, which had cooled down after some time. It was delicious. They really ought to come by every now and then. But the search for those terrifying killers weighed more on their mind right now.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 3:42 pm – at the crime scene, Nerima_

They got there and it seemed like the investigators were wrapping up their investigations. The police officers were dismantling their equipment and were packing them up. Even the evidence was being taken for safekeeping. The trio could see the clean-up crew do their job.

Also, the scene of the crime…

There were bloody footprints and a dried-out pool of blood all around an area that was marked with white color, indicating the victim's body position. Just like the newspaper indicated, there were no footprints of the wolves anywhere else. Only the footprints of the victim existed outside the area of his death.

Must have been a horrible grisly death… and the gray clouds and breezy wind eight now did not make this less ominous.

But no matter. All they had to do was have Issei smell the scent of the stray devils and leave.

"Ugh…" Issei wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I can still feel the scent of rotten decaying corpses – just like back then when we found those corpses at Sakabasu!"

"Yeah… but can you at least get the stray devil's scent?" Matsuda asked of Issei.

 **[Stray devils are usually covered in blood and reek of death. You will most likely find them based off this scent, provided they haven't erased their scent with water]** Ddraig stated.

"Well, yeah… Anyway let's go…" Issei told the others and was ready to leave this disgusting place and start the search.

Suddenly, the wind blew and that was when Motohama saw something.

"What's that?" Motohama pointed with his finger. Issei and Motohama turned around and saw what he was looking at. At one of the places where the bloody pool and footprints were, something was sticking on the ground and about to fly off because of the wind.

It flew off and flew directly into Motohama's body, but didn't hurt him because of how small and paper-like it was.

"What was that?" Issei asked Motohama, the former trying to see what the small object in question was.

Motohama grasped it and saw what it was.

A leaf.

"It's just a leaf," Matsuda shrugged disinterested, just as Issei's Boosted Gear appeared in a flash.

 **[Yes, but it came from the crime scene and it's covered in blood. And it probably came from underneath the paw prints of the stray devils, meaning this leaf got stuck here with the blood. This could be a useful clue for finding these stray devils]** Ddraig explained.

"Ddraig, watch it! There are people nearby!" Issei reprimanded Ddraig for appearing in the open with people nearby.

 **[Pardon me, Partner. I tend to forget]** Ddraig apologized.

Thankfully, none of the officers noticed and were just about to leave.

"This thing could be a clue?" Matsuda asked skeptically.

"Good thing the police haven't found it yet then," Issei said. "Now, let me check out this leaf. Maybe we can find out more about it…"

Issei activated his watch and summoned his special glasses.

 **[Those glasses again?]** Ddraig sighed.

"Are you jealous again?" Issei frowned.

 **[Not at all…]** Ddraig lied, not wanting to squabble with Issei about it again.

And so, Issei started his analysis and checked the leaf's properties.

There was an analyzing function that Issei had found the other day that allowed Issei to find out the names of objects and animals of all kinds. Pretty cool… these glasses were really the best!

"Scanner, tell me about the object you see in my hand," Issei commanded the glasses.

{The object in question is a leaf of the Prunus Serrulata, also known as the Japanese cherry tree. These kind of trees are quite common in Japan. Do you wish to know more?} The male A.I. voice asked Issei.

"Nope. That's good enough. Thanks," Issei answered, before turning his face to the others. "So there we have it. Another clue. Though I don't know if this will help much…"

"Yeah, unfortunately there way too many Sakura trees around this country…" Matsuda sighed.

"Like sand on the sea shore…" Motohama commented dryly.

 **[I would not give up hope too soon… I think our job has been made a lot easier…]** Ddraig told them all.

"Huh?" Motohama looked at the Boosted Gear confused.

"What are you talking about?" Matsuda asked Ddraig.

 **[I am speaking of the fact that there are specific places where we can find those devils.]** Ddraig clarified to them.

"Uh… Haven't you been paying attention? We just said that there are too many Sakura trees across Japan. So what do you mean when you say 'specific places'?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[I know that, but there are only so many places in this huge city that have Sakura trees and in which you can find shelter in without being discovered]** Ddraig answered.

"Wait… Places where you can shelter in without being discovered?" Motohama asked.

"And with Sakura trees, too?" Issei added.

 **[I'm speaking of parks]** Ddraig revealed to them. **[…or some wide area with greenery.]**

"I see… that theory makes sense…" Matsuda stated with an understanding nod.

"Yeah, but Ddraig," Issei interjected. "You yourself have said that they could be hiding anywhere in Tokyo or not in Tokyo at all. Are we really going to have to search every park in Tokyo or even outside the city?"

 **[For some reason I doubt that, considering where the stray devils have attacked and where they have been spotted]** Ddraig elaborated.

"""Huh?""" all three of them voiced dumbfounded and confused.

 **[Sigh… Do I really have to do all the thinking for you? Don't you want to become a detective someday, Partner?]** Ddraig asked of Issei with a sigh.

"Yeah… but-" Issei said, but Ddraig cut him off.

 **[Then think. Where did we see them and where have they attacked so far]** Ddraig asked Issei.

Issei stopped and thought for a moment. He mumbled to himself until he answered in this manner.

"Let me see… the first stray devil we met, we met it on the way home from shopping last Sunday… then we found out that one of them was on the roof near the scene during that time… then Ryuga discovered two of them… not sure where, but I guess still in Nerima… and finally this killing here…" Issei listed every stray devil incident so far.

Matsuda and Motohama tried to follow along. What was Ddraig trying to say?

Issei mumbled some more. "Why is he talking about 'where' this while time? What have they all have in common?" Why I'd say that…" it was then that Issei drifted off and became silent.

Matsuda and Motohama noticed this.

"Issei? Have you figured out something?" Motohama asked hopefully.

"Yeah… it's…" Issei started, speaking slowly. "…All the stray devils appearances and killings took place in Nerima… and that means… what Ddraig is trying to say is that…"

Issei turned his face to the Boosted Gear. "You're trying to tell me that those stray devils are hiding in some park in or near Nerima, aren't you?" Issei asked Ddraig.

 **[That is correct]** Ddraig simply answered.

Motohama and Matsuda widened their eyes.

"So that is why you were talking like finding them was a piece of cake…" Motohama realized.

"But… where should we look first? Also, how many parks are there in Nerima?" Matsuda asked Issei and Ddraig.

"I'm not sure… but I guess Phoebe can help, right?" Issei winked at Matsuda.

At this Matsuda nodded with a devious smile. "Oh yeah… and find all the Sakura trees as well…"

Matsuda summoned the Chopping Board Type 2 and told Phoebe: "Go find all the parks in Nerima and its vicinity with Sakura trees."

{Understood, Captain. Searching now} Phoebe said, as the miniature chopper lifted to the skies for its mission.

As the Chopping Board Type 2 became nothing more than a speck in the sky, Motohama looked at the others.

"What do we do in the meantime?" he asked.

"First, we get out of here. It reeks of blood and death and as you know, my nose is sensitive…" Issei said, as he quickly made his way out.

Matsuda and Motohama followed him, leaving behind the crime scene to the cleaners, who were to wash off the blood and all that bore witness to the tragedy of an innocent life snuffed out.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 5:49 pm – Johoku Chuo Park, Nerima_

After leaving the crime scene, they received several locations, as to where they could find parks nearby with Sakura trees. One of which was the park they were currently at – namely Johoku Chuo Park which straddled Itabashi and Nerima.

Finding the place wasn't easy. The first park they checked was Hikarigaoka Park, but with no success.

They searched high and low for the stray devils, but could not find them there, which is strange, considering it was such a big park and the largest one on Nerima Ward, too.

They had to admit it had a beautiful scenery with all the trees having autumn yellow leaves. However, they weren't there for sightseeing but to hunt down the stray devils and prevent them from killing anyone ever again.

Had someone from Kuoh seen them do what they were doing, they would have realized that this was out of the character for them. After all, the only thing they cared for was perving around, right?

But while they may have been perverts, they also knew what they had to do. And their mission to eliminate the stray devils was their duty – more so considering that they were the only ones with the power to stop them.

That was the only reason why they didn't give up and decided to search at Johoku Chuo Park after being told of it by Phoebe.

Admittedly, they did take their time getting there because of how tired they were, which was why they took a break to eat at another stall (they had burgers this time). Only then did they reach their desired destination.

Currently, they were standing in front of the main entrance gate and were looking deep into the park and its tree filled entrance path, along with the treeless baseball field.

The weather was cloudy, even a bit windy, but by no means rainy or cold. It just felt lukewarm, just like their feelings about fighting those wolf-like stray devils.

"Ddraig?" Issei simply spoke with his buddies standing right in front of the entrance, as though it was a boss chamber in a video game.

 **[Yes, Partner?]** Ddraig asked after the Boosted Gear manifested on his arm.

Issei said nothing, instead he looked to the left at Matsuda, who looked at Issei with a serious face and nodded.

He looked to the right to where Motohama was and he had the same look. He nodded as well.

Turning all their faces back forward, Issei simply said this: "Let's go."

 **[Right, Partner]** Ddraig answered.

And that was when they marched forward.

They remained vigilant. Even though, they did not find any stray devils in the last park, they tried their best to be prepared. Ddraig had warned them that stray devils could be hiding anywhere. It could be in the bushes, on the ground, behind building structures, on tree tops and even in rivers.

They could even teleport to the boys' position in a second had they wanted, so they had to he careful.

Moreover, if they could sense Issei's Boosted Gear that meant even more trouble should they be in this park. Issei would have huge target on his back and Issei did not like this at all.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama stayed close together. They didn't want to be separated from each other. Everybody was watching each other's back as much as possible.

The view in the park was beautiful. Just like Hikarigaoka Park, Johoku Chuo had Sakura trees in bright yellow color. However, there were much fewer Ginko trees here, which is in contrast to Johoku Chuo, which was known for its plentiful Ginko trees. Also, this park also had a baseball field, which is where the boys approached. It just felt safer that way because of its apparent lack of ambush hideouts.

Issei had his Boosted Gear ready and was trying to smell out the stray devils. Motohama had his gloves out ready to launch glue cubes into his foes. Matsuda had his miniature helicopter flying around in the air, ready to alert them if it had detected their opponents.

So far so good… they had been looking around for their enemies for five minutes now.. and there was no sign of them… In fact, it seemed like nobody else was around here either…

Good. Now they did not have to risk innocent bystanders getting hurt or witnessing their powers.

All they had to do was find the stray devils…

"KYAAAHHHH!" a scream from the distance broke the silence.

The boys turned their attention to that and ran to the direction of the scream.

They came near a river which flowed through the park and saw the cause of the scream.

Within the trees and bushes, they saw a huge monstrous gray wolf with multiple snake-like tails cornering a brown-haired woman with a dirty yellow coat all wet and frightened. She must have fallen into the river or something.

As for the monster before them, they knew it was a stray devil just like the other one.

"Guys! It's them! They're here!" Matsuda cried out.

"What do we do!?" Issei asked panicked, unsure on what to do with the situation at hand.

"I've got it!" Motohama told them and threw his glue cube at the stray-devil wolf.

[Plop!]

The cube impacted and covered the body of the wolf with gluey mass, distracted the wolf from its meal. The stray devil growled and slowly turned its face to our heroes.

The woman used this opportunity to carefully back away and the run as fast as she could.

The stray devil didn't bother following after her. Instead, it focused its sight on the three boys in front of it.

The boys flinched at its gaze, but said nothing and prepared for the fight that lay ahead.

 **[Boost!]** The Boosted Gear rang and doubled Issei's power.

The stray devil snarled at them and got ready to attack, even as it tried to ignore the black goo dripping down its fur.

Issei readied to fire a Dragon Shot, but then…

"Ehehe…" the stray devil chuckled all of the sudden. This caught the boys of guard. Did it just…?

"THEY'RE HERE! KAO! AKO! KILL THEM!" the stray devil called out.

"Kao…? Ako…?" Issei voiced out confused, but then he saw something appear from the trees.

"HOOOOWLLL!" "HOOOWWWL!"

Above them, two similar-looking stray devil wolves pounced on Issei and Matsuda.

"Oof!" "Argh!" Issei and Matsuda cried out, as they fell on their backs with a thud, the wolves on top of them. They tried to struggle, but the wolves were too heavy.

'Those stray devils… it's a trap! They knew we were coming…' Issei realized angrily.

"GUYS!" Motohama cried out, who threw a glue cube into the face of the one on Matsuda, it jerked its head to the side, but remained where it was otherwise.

The gray wolf snarled at Motohama. He wanted to rip him apart right then and there, but realized that Issei's Sacred Gear was quite powerful. Having him here with all of his mates and himself was dangerous. So he had a plan…

"AKO, KAO! Keep the three of these humans apart! By themselves they are weak, so carry them as far away as possible and then eat them!" the ringleader told his mates.

The two stray devils turned back to their humanoid forms, spread their wings and carried Issei and Matsuda off in different directions.

"ISSEI! MATSUDA!" Matsuda cried out in despair.

He was about to throw a glue cube after them, but a growl from the stray devil leader stopped him from doing that.

"Now, that everybody has their share…" the obviously male stray devil said menacingly with its teeth being bared. Motohama stepped back in fear, but wasn't confident of outrunning his opponent.

"…let's… KILL!" the abomination of a wolf attacked.

* * *

 **And that was chapter 26 of the Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger, but I don't want to take too long on one chapter.**

 **Now, about this chapter…**

 **Obviously, I am describing real places in Nerima in this story. Please note that I have never been to Japan and have never seen these places myself. So, I hope I don't get anything wrong about these places.**

 **Also, when it comes to these Ranma-like characters and the school setting, I have some interesting ideas on what I can do with these characters. Ryuga is just one example. I have more in store for him, though, so stay tuned…**

 **Also, I put in two Ranma-like characters into this chapter that haven't been named yet. Can you guess who they might be? One is fairly obvious and the other not so much.**

 **As for the stray devils… Yes, they outwitted our heroes. But fear not! They won't die this easy. Why? Because I won't let them. Yet I won't interfere. You'll have to see next time how they get out in the next chapter soon…**

 **How did you like this chapter.**

 **Please read and review. I would like to hear from you.**

 **And as always, I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	35. Chapter 27 - The Trio vs Stray Devils

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **Sorry, for taking me four weeks to do this chapter, but I have been going on tours in my free time. I wanted to see Ireland and it would be a shame if I missed out on it. But now, I am back on track for the latest chapter.**

 **On the last chapter, our heroes have questioned a student named Ryuga Nabiki about the stray devils going around killing people. Thanks to him, they ultimately managed to find a trail leading them to Johoku Chuo Park on the edge of Nerima.**

 **Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and Ddraig find the leader, Kanto, attack a woman. However, he anticipated their arrival and had his subordinates separate Issei and Matsuda from Motohama, leaving Kanto alone with Motohama.**

 **What will happen to Motohama? What about Issei and Matsuda? Will all of them survive this ambush?**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 27 – The Trio vs Stray Devils

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 6:00 pm – Johoku Chuo Park, Nerima_

The leader of the stray devil wolves, Kanto, rushes for the kill. Motohama tried to move – dodge or run – but stood there petrified. The wolf pounced on him, causing Motohama to land on his back with a thud.

"Urgh!" Motohama grunted.

The landing knocked the breath out of him. He could feel the blunt pain in his back from the landing as well. Yet, all these were the least of the concerns because of the stray devil on top of him, looking at poor Motohama with a menacing look.

"Now, DIE!" Kanto roared, as he tried to bite Motohama's head off.

But Motohama reacted faster. He moved his hands in front of his face and splattered the glue cube in front of Kanto's face.

[PLOP!] "GRAAAAAHHH!"

The wolf stray devil roared because of the newly stuck black goo nearly smothering his face. Kanto stumbled off Motohama in a bid to get rid of it, while Motohama scrambled to his feet and hightailed out of here.

'Run… run… I've got to get out of here… I don't stand a chance against a stray devil like that on my own…' Motohama thought, running in any directions through the park, just so long he could get away from the stray devil leader as far as possible.

'I hope the others are OK…' Motohama hoped.

It was then that he saw something in the sky and focused. That was… Issei!

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 6:01 pm – about 50 meters above Johoku Chuo Park, Nerima_

"Hehehehe… I will have fun eating you… Sacred Gear user!" Ako said, while licking her lips, just waiting to sink her fangs into Issei.

Issei gritted his teeth. He tried to shake her off and make her let go off him. The problem was that Ako's grip on him was too strong. Thus Issei tried boosting again.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei's power doubled, while he wrestled. This caused Ako's flying to become erratic, which Ako did not like.

"You puny human… STOP STRUGGLING!" she shouted and charged something in her hands.

Issei saw this and widened his eyes, before feeling electricity raging through his body.

"AAAARRRGHHH!" Issei cried out in pain, while struggling some more. He tried his best, but could not break free.

"AHAHAHAHA! YOU WILL BE GRILLED MEAT!" Ako laughed with a sadistic grin on her face, thinking only of eating him.

 **[Partner, hold on! You can't go dying here!]** Ddraig implored his host.

"I'm… trying…" Issei managed to say under severe pain. "I'm can't use Dragon shot, but I can't do it if I can't aim…" he said, his arm flailing around in the air.

It seemed hopeless. Issei could not do anything and was pretty helpless in the air. Was this the end?

Ddraig wracked his head up to find a solution. Had he been at his original strength, he could just eliminate this stray devil with one breath of fire. But Issei was not yet ready to learn it, so something else had to be done.

Only what could help?

Within a split-second Ddraig had an idea.

 **[Partner, use that!]** Ddraig urged Issei.

"Use what?" Issei replied, confused and in pain, almost about to lose consciousness from the pain.

Ddraig told him and Issei mentally agreed. He went straight to work. His life depended on it.

With the last of his strength, Issei gripped both of Ako's arms that were still gripping his shirt and then stopped moving. Noticing this, Ako stopped her electric current.

"HAHAHAHA… Was that all? Can you still hear me? Or are you perhaps dead? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAH!" she laughed triumphantly, convinced that her victim was dead.

What did she expect? He was merely a human. What could a human possibly do to a devil like her – even with a Sacred Gear? Whatever the case, she needed to land so that she could…

"Huh?" Ako voiced upon observing Issei a second time.

What she noticed was that even though Issei was not moving, he was still breathing. And not only that, but it felt like his grip on her arms remained strong.

In other words, he was still alive.

Ako growled. She was about to restart her electric current again, but then it felt like the boy's left hand had gotten cold.

She thought that he was dead now, but his strong grip remained and what's more, his hand with the Sacred Gear had not only gotten cold…

…it had gotten icy cold…

…and it felt like it was spreading from her right arm towards the rest of her body…

"AAAAAARRRRGGHHHHH!" the female stray devil screamed in excruciating pain.

The reason? Her arm was frozen over by ice, which was spreading through her entire body, courtesy of Issei's Boosted Gear.

Ako tried to move, struggle, use her magic to escape the ice.

But it was no use.

Within a few seconds, her leathery bat-wings were also affected, their movements stiffening and that meant…

"AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! NOOOOOOOOO!" Ako screamed, as her erratic flying turned into a freefall.

By then, Issei had let go off the stray devil and was falling into the tree down below.

"Oof! Ah! Urgh!" Issei grunted with every branch, hitting him on his fall downwards, breaking them in the process, before finally landing inelegantly on the grassy ground.

"Owwwww…" Issei groaned, as he lay there on his side.

 **[Partner, are you all right?]** Ddraig asked Issei.

"Cough… cough… I feel like I inhaled in too much smoke and my back hurts like crazy… but I'll live…" Issei responded wryly, as he sat up after a few seconds. "But if it hadn't been for your idea to use the ice orb's power in the Boosted Gear, I don't think l would be alive."

 **[You should always be resourceful in a fight. That is what a warrior does]** Ddraig said sagely.

Suddenly, they heard a thud not too far from them. It was the frozen Ako, lying just beneath a tree not too far away. It seemed she had also had the same kind of tumble Issei had.

And she did not seem to move either, except for her chest expanding and contracting (in other words, she was still breathing).

But Issei didn't care much about her, but rather his two buddies who were still in danger.

Without a word, he uses his watch to summon his special glasses and looks around for heat signatures of Matsuda and Motohama.

Just then, he heard the sound of a helicopter up above.

To Issei's surprise, it was not just any helicopter.

It was the Chopping Board Type 2 descending slowly to the ground – and Matsuda was hanging on from the landing skids!

What on earth happened up there?

* * *

 _Just about a minute or two earlier…_

Similar to Issei, Matsuda had been suddenly seized and carried off into the air by one of the stray devils in an ambush. In his case, it was Kao, who was also gripping him from behind with her claw-like hands.

Matsuda gritted his teeth. Her grip on his stomach was painful.

Very painful.

He could only dread what would come his way…

His attacker, Kao, is gloating and looking at her prey with condescension.

"Ever since I and my comrades have left our mistress, I have managed to kill and devour 19 humans. And you… will be my twentieth…" she spoke in his ear, while licking her lips hungrily.

Matsuda clenched his teeth in fear and anger. Fear because of high above the ground he was and the prospect of being eaten alive. Anger because of what she just revealed to him.

She has killed this many already!? And for what? For sport? All the while looking at humans as nothing but insects!?

Well, screw them! He was going to show them! He already had contingency measures ready and it was going to arrive right about… now!

"What the…?" Something caught Kao's attention so that she halted in mid-air. She looked behind her and saw the Chopping Board Type 2 approaching her at top speed.

She instinctively readied a magical shot, ready to destroy the hostile object.

But contrary to her expectations, it swerved to the side and passed by her.

"What…?" Kao voiced out confused until she felt herself yanked by a sudden force.

It was then that she saw the reason why that was. Matsuda had grabbed a hold on one of the helicopter's landing skids with one hand, while holding a controller with the other.

"Whew… good that the upgraded version of this controller had an emergency summoning button…" Matsuda voiced in relief and put the controller in his pocket.

It turned out that he had, unbeknownst to the surprised Kao, summoned the controller and called the Chopping Board Type 2.

But Kao wasn't out of the fight yet. She yanked and tried to pull or tear Matsuda from the Chopping Board Type 2 with all her strength. This caused the Chopping Board Type 2 to suddenly be halted in mid-air and Matsuda feel even more pain from the pull.

"Arrggh!" he cried out in pain.

Matsuda could feel Kao's claws dig in deeper into his stomach, drawing blood through his clothes. Yet, the worst part was yet to come.

"You bloody machine…" Kao growled in anger. She readied her to shoot the miniature chopper once again. "I'll make you pay for that…" she spat out.

Matsuda became panicked. This was not a good situation. It seemed like he could not get out of this alive… until he saw Motohama's seax (short sword) sticking out the side of the helicopter door. It was a smaller than before because it had shrunk alongside the Chopping Board Type 2, but if he was correct…

"Guess again!" Matsuda shouted and reached up with all his energy and grabbed the hilt. He swung it. It grew in his hand and…

[Stab!] "Agh!"

…stabbed Kao deep into her shoulder. She let go off Matsuda as he withdrew his blade and hung for dear life on the miniature chopper.

"Phoebe! Get us down to the ground!" Matsuda called out to Phoebe.

{Understood, Captain. Lowering altitude} Phoebe replied and the chopper descended down slowly, leaving Kao to writhe behind in pain.

"Now… off to find the others… quick!" Matsuda looked down on the park grounds below, urgent to find his friends. That was the moment Issei discovered Matsuda from below.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 6:03 pm – with Motohama, Johoku Chuo Park, Nerima_

Meanwhile, Motohama was keeping himself near the ground, scurrying as fast as he could along bushes, trees and other objects to hide from his pursuer.

After choosing a tree to hide behind, he made sure his breath stayed as quiet as possible. No need for that monster to find out his position.

It was then that Motohama heard heavy footsteps. He immediately hid himself behind his tree and hoped Kanto did not find him. Kanto was pacing slowly in his beast form and sniffing the ground. Upon hearing Kanto's sniffing sounds, Motohama could not help but worry.

'Wait. Is he trying to sniff me out with his nose? Oh dear, I just hope he doesn't find me… Wait a minute, he's a wolf! Ohhh… I'm doomed…' Motohama thought in despair.

He had to get ready to attack. He silently formed the next glue cubes with his black gloves, ready to throw them right in Kanto's face.

Kanto, on the other hand, was seething but also grinning with a sense of triumph.

'Does that fool think he can hide himself from me? I can sniff him out wherever he is hiding within one mile. It's even easier when he is hiding in a more natural environment like this one,' Kanto thought with glee.

Motohama heard the footsteps coming closer and nervously counted down the seconds when he should attack and run for it. That is, until the sound of the footsteps stopped, which surprised Motohama.

Motohama wondered why the male stray devil had stopped. Did he perhaps **not** sense him? Did he come near his position just by chance?

All his speculations were interrupted by a completely different sound. A sound of… a magical attack being charged!?

Indeed. Kanto was building up a magical charge of some kind in his jaws and was ready to wipe Motohama out with it.

'Do you think I'll let you do the same trick twice? I can hear your petty glue bomb attack and am quite familiar with it. This time, I'll keep my distance and obliterate you like **this**!' Kanto thought, as if responding to Motohama. 'You will be mine!'

Before Motohama could think of his next action or Kanto fire his shot, both of them heard an unusual noise coming from somewhere above.

Both of them looked and behold, it was Matsuda descending from the sky with his mini-helicopter and hanging by its landing skids.

Kanto growled upon seeing Matsuda. He was also angered at the sight of an injured Kao flying around pathetically in the air.

"That fool… How on earth can she let a mere human get away…?" he said and dispelled his charge of deadly energy.

Instead, he spread his wings and took flight, thinking: 'I think I need to do this myself. These Sacred Gear users are a lot more trouble than I thought.'

Motohama was relieved that he wasn't going to be killed right away. But that relief was short-lived because of Matsuda's predicament. Matsuda was in a disadvantageous position, while the male stray devil wolf could fly and shoot him with ease.

"Dang it! Matsuda!" Motohama cried out. He wanted to do something, except that Motohama couldn't throw his glue cubes at Kanto, now that latter was in the sky.

To make matters, Motohama saw the other stray devil going on the offense and close the distance from behind Matsuda.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! DIIIIIEEEEEE!" Kao screamed in utter fury, just wanting to kill Matsuda here and now.

Looking both in front of him and behind him, Matsuda could see he was caught between both sides and that they were closing on him fast – with magical attacks ready to obliterate him!

"NO! HELP! PHOEBE!" Matsuda yelled trying to escape the deadly situation he was in. But it was too late to dodge. And swinging Motohama'a sword wasn't going to do him much good. Was this the end?

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

A red beam shot out of nowhere caught everyone's attention. It was heading towards them!

Kanto and and Kao instantly stopped their attacks and evaded.

Matsuda, in his shock, let go off the helicopter and fell into the tree down below.

"Oof! Ah! Ugh!" Matsuda groaned and grunted with every second, as the twigs and branches scratched and buffeted his body during the fall, before finally landing on the grassy park floor with a thud. He lay there groaning and clutching himself in pain.

Motohama saw all that had happened and hurried to meet his friend.

"Dude! Are you OK? Anything broken?" Motohama asked in worry.

Matsuda slowly got to his feet. "Nope… ugh… no problem here… it's not the first time I fell from this great a height… at least nobody is gonna land on me like the last time…" Matsuda jested.

Motohama let Matsuda rise to his feet and dust off the grass and leaves from his clothes.

"I swear. I just keep falling from trees for some reason. I need to learn some techniques to reduce damage from the fall…" Matsuda added, now finished with his tidying.

While Matsuda and Motohama were conversing, the same was happening with Kanto and Kao overhead.

"What was that!?" Kao said terrified.

"I'm not sure. But whatever it is, it came from one of the Sacred Gear users…" Kanto growled. He looked around to see where that beam came from. But he could not find the shooter.

"Where is Ako? Shouldn't she be finishing off that one human!?" Kao asked frustrated.

"She should be… but I fear the worst… If that beam came from that human…" Kanto said ominously.

Kao did not like where this was going. What should have been an easy hunting sport has now become a match to the death. Not what they wanted… This was serious…

"What do we do now?" Kao asked.

"I cannot seem to find Ako's prey, but I say that we leave him for now…" Kanto replied, as he glared at the boys down below. "For now, we target them. The two of them are dangerous in their own way. If they managed to injure you and humiliate me individually, we should get rid of them both. Follow my lead…"

"Yes…" Kao nodded and charged a magical attack in her hands, just as Kanto did the same with his jaws (he was still in his best form).

Meanwhile, just underneath the tree, Matsuda heard a ring coming from his wristwatch. He took the call.

What gives, Phoebe?" Matsuda responded. But then the unexpected happened.

{WARNING! HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ENERGY JUST DETECTED ABOVE YOUR POSITION! PLEASE EVACUATE YOUR POSITION IMMEDIATELY!} Phoebe's voice blared out urgently, making Matsuda and Motohama flinch back.

They wondered what she meant by that. So, they looked above and saw two bright glows partially obscured by the trees, but still visible, nonetheless.

"Matsuda?" Motohama asked, not moving his gaze at the attack being prepared above them.

"Yeah, Motohama?" Matsuda asked back. Even though, he was asking, he was pretty sure that Motohama had the same thought he had.

"LET'S HIGH-TAIL OUT OF HERE!" "I'M ON IT!" both boys cried out, while giving it their all to get away from the point of the blasts' impact.

(((BOOM!)))

"YAAAAAH!" "WAAAH!" Both of them screamed, as the blast blew them away. They tumbled a good distance further until they came to a stop.

"Ugh…" "Uga…" Matsuda and Motohama groaned in pain.

Kanto and Kao looked from above and growled angrily. Their blast left a huge crater where the tree stood just now, but their actual targets were still alive.

"We missed…" Kao stated with a frown.

"Then let's shoot some more. Destroy the whole park if necessary," Kanto stated coldly.

Kao held her hand out, aimed and shot another blast at the prone boys. They would have been killed, had Motohama not reacted quickly.

"Matsuda! Incoming!" he shouted to Matsuda, while jumping out of the blast's path.

Matsuda reacted and despite the pain from the tumble, managed to jump out of the way, too.

(Boom!)

The blasts impacted and missed their targets, whipping up masses of dirt and grass in the air. Matsuda and Motohama were relieved – but not for long.

"More of those things! Run!" Matsuda shouted and pointed at the succession of blasts coming their way.

(Boom!) (Boom!) (Boom!)

The poor teens were running in a slalom to avoid the hail of bullets raining all around them, shielding their eyes from the dirt flying into their eyes as best as they could. At the same time, they made sure to look behind to keep track at the incoming blasts and their flying pursuers, who were not standing still, but giving chase.

One of the blasts happened to approach with particular speed and was about to hit Matsuda, who realized too late of its approach.

"MATSUDA!" Motohama cried out in horror at what seemed to be his friend's imminent death.

Matsuda saw the orb coming right at him and instinctively brought the seax in front of his body in attempt to block it. He did not know why he did it. He just did.

And what happened next surprised everyone.

The blast impacted on the sword and was deflected! Because of how strong the blast was, he fell on his rear, but was unharmed otherwise.

Motohama and Matsuda were speechless. That sword could do that all this time? If it did, then…

He couldn't finish that thought because of what he saw next.

The blast went right back at the stray devil duo. They widened their eyes in surprise but dodged instantly. The blast passed by them harmlessly.

While the stray devil duo was floating in shock, Motohama could not help but let out whoop of joy.

"Woohooo! Take that, losers! We can deflect anything you throw at us!" Motohama called out to them cockily.

Matsuda, however, glared at his friend.

"Dude! I can't do that! Don't give them any ideas!" Matsuda rebuked his friend.

Just then, another blast whizzed by them, causing the two of them to yelp.

"DIE YOU, MAGGOTY SACRED GEAR USERS!" Kao screamed, as she and Kanto caught up with them and started shooting once more at close range from above.

"Dude start swinging!" Motohama cried out to Matsuda.

"Dude, who do you think I am? A jedi?" Matsuda retorted agitated and panicked, as he did his best to protect himself, swinging the short sword as well as he could.

Deflecting one magical blast was one thing, but all of them? Even Jedis would be hard-pressed to deflect them. And attacking them was out of the question because they were so high up that their attacks cannot reach them. Even if Phoebe came here, she likely would be taken out by both the stray devils before she could be of any help.

Unless something turned this situation around, they were doomed!

Speaking of which, where was Issei?

 **[Dragon Shot!]**

Another red beam came and took the two stray devils by surprise. This one came from the side. Both Kanto and Kao dodged again. This time, however, Kao was not so lucky.

"ARGH!" she screamed in pain for the Dragon Shot had burned through her wings, leaving them partially destroyed. The damage to her wings was so severe that she fell.

Kao fell with a thud to the ground right next to Matsuda, but she did not stay still. She thrashed around because of her burning wings.

"Issei!" Motohama exclaimed jubilantly with raised arms. "Great shot!"

Seeing the chance, Matsuda steeled himself and went for the kill.

"RAAAHHH!" he cried out, as he raised the seax into the air and plunged through Kao's back and into the ground, causing her to stop moving. In other words, she was dead.

"DAMN YOU!" Kanto roared at the sight of another one of his comrades lying dead before him – killed by those he considered beneath the dignity and power of his race.

He shook with such rage that he just wanted to kill Matsuda and Motohama with his bare hands. But something in him told him otherwise. Instead, he turned his attention elsewhere to the origin of the beam.

He growled and trembled upon seeing Issei, who was a good distance away from Kanto on the other side of the open field they were in. He looked dirty and disheveled, but his eyes were full of resolve and the Boosted Gear brimmed with strength.

Issei looked Kanto straight in the eye and said, "You're finished…".

Kanto did not say anything. He simply growled and then shot a barrage of magical blasts at him.

 **[Partner, look out!]** Ddraig calls out. Issei reacted by crossing his arms in front of himself in an x-shape and standing in an immovable position. This is so that Issei could shield himself as much as possible and endure the punishment of the attack.

Now, when doing such a move there is an advantage and two disadvantages.

The advantage is that when it comes to blocking off attacks, it often works. The user does not get hurt at the most vital parts of the upper body. That works even better considering Issei's Boosted Gear and the effects of its multiplied physical strength, which minimizes any harm done upon Issei. Aside from a few scratches and tears in his clothing, the host of the Red Dragon Emperor remained unharmed.

The first disadvantage to that stance is that one shields his eyes with his arms. He can't see the enemy ahead of him and knows nothing about what he plans next. All he knows is that the enemy is attacking him continually with only same old attacks and that no other kind of attack may follow.

That is an assumption that may not always be true.

The second disadvantage is related to the first. It is because of the assumption of a monotonous attack from one direction that the user does not change or move. In other words, the user is not thinking flexibly and will have a hard time adapting himself when the need arrives.

In this case, what were to happen if Kanto had stopped his attacks and decided to circle around Issei and attack him from behind?

"ISSEI! WATCH OUT! HE'S BEHIND YOU!" Motohama screamed.

Issei looked behind him and saw Kanto from behind him and running at him with his jaws wide open.

Issei froze because he was caught completely off guard. He did not know what to do, whether it be ducking, punching or whatever.

Whatever he wanted to do… it was too late!

"PHOEBE! SHOOT THAT STRAY DEVIL!" Matsuda ordered Phoebe.

"Wha-? AAAAHHHH!" Kanto roared in pain, as the Chopping Board Type 2's bullets ripped through his side.

Kanto fell to the ground before him, while Issei jumped back to keep his distance.

"All right!" Matsuda exclaimed jubilantly upon seeing Kanto collapse. "I've taken down! Finish him o-!" Matsuda wanted to finish the sentence, but could not because…

[BOOOOM!]

…a magical blast destroyed the Chopping Board Type 2!

"No! PHOE-" Matsuda cried out, but could not finish his sentence because of Motohama.

"Watch out!" he called out, as he pointed to Matsuda's left.

Matsuda turned and barely raised the seax. He blocked the attack. However, the blast was so strong it knocked him back into a tree.

"Guah!" Matsuda gave out, saliva flying out of his mouth, before falling unconscious.

""MATSUDA!" Issei and Motohama cried out at what happened to their friend.

A snarl from the side stopped them from heading to their friend. They looked in the direction of where the attack came from and saw…

"Ako… Where were you…?" Kanto growled angrily, as he saw his mate and lover, stumble to the scene. She looked like she had seen better days and was bruised, and her body showed signs of frost from Issei's freezing. But most notably, she was royally ticked off at Issei.

"That brat over there froze me with his Sacred Gear. It took me a while to freeze myself. We underestimated these humans…" she glared at Issei.

"Indeed… as much as I hate to admit it… they even killed Kao…" Kanto glanced at Kao's mutilated bleeding body.

"No… NO! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" she cried and rushed upon Issei. She transformed into a wolf, pounced on Issei and pinned him down to the ground.

Issei grunted and wrestled with Ako with both of them in a stalemate.

"Issei! This can't be happening!" Motohama said, not believing that their luck has turned against them so quickly.

Motohama tried to help Issei but was pounced on from behind by Kanto.

"Oof!" Motohama grunted at being pounced on once more – maybe for the last time – this time landing on his stomach.

Motohama tried to use his glue gloves, but Kanto stepped on Motohama's hands with his clawed paws.

"YAAAAHHHH! AAAARRRGGHHH!" Motohama screamed in pain. His hands felt like they were being crushed and pierced, despite the protection of his special black gloves.

Kanto lowered his face towards Motohama.

"You piece of filth! Just for what you three have done, I am going to make sure you die slowly and **painfully**..." Kanto emphasized the last word with a voice of complete hatred.

Motohama was in despair. He could not move, his only weapon on him was currently useless and both Issei and Matsuda were either occupied or unconscious.

He tried to move, struggle… do anything to get out of this situation. But he could not!

Meanwhile, things were not looking good for Issei either.

"Hrrrgh… Arrrrrrgh!" Issei cried out in agony, as Ako, being on top of Issei, electrified him once more.

He tried his best to endure the pain but doing so and focusing on freezing his opponent at the same time was very hard. Pushing his opponent off wasn't possible because the voltage practically made his muscles useless. On top of that, his opponent had now transformed into her wolf-form, making her heavier than before.

In other words, it was a bad situation for Issei.

"Grrr… not this time! I'll try you to death before you freeze me!" Ako said with gritted teeth, as her arm started to freeze once more.

It was a war of attrition in which neither of them had the upper hand. Regardless of who won, any help for Motohama would come too late.

"I'll devour your shoulder first…" Kanto widened his jaws and was ready to bite down on him.

Motohama shut his eyes. Everything went into slow-motion for him.

'So… this is how I… we die… fighting some stray devils when we should be defeating stronger opponents, if what Ddraig said was anything to go by…' Motohama thought sadly. '…We still have so much to live for and here we are at death's door… How could this happen?'

Motohama saw Kant's jaw move closer to his shoulder in slow-motion. He smiled sadly.

'Why did it have to end this way? If only we came better prepared… if only we had another comrade… if only…' Motohama thought, resigning himself to his death… but not in action.

"HELP US!" Motohama cried out.

Kanto flinched back.

Issei and Ako stopped fighting.

But only for a few seconds.

Kanto growled and sunk his claws deep into Motohama's gloves.

"AAAAGHHHH!" Motohama screamed in pain. His hands were going to be torn apart at this rate, though then again… his life was already forfeit.

Issei resumed the fight and punched the distracted Ako in the face. He tried to get away, but Ako was the one on top of him and she did not let him go that easily. Instead, she resumed her attempts to fry Issei.

"YOU FILTHY SACRED GEAR USER! YOU HAVE HINDERED ME FOR THE LAST TIME! DIIIIEEE!" Kanto roared and was about to end Motohama's life here and now, deciding to forgo killing him slowly.

Motohama closed his eyes and braced himself.

This was the end! This was truly the end!

"NOOOO!" Issei cried out, but he was still struggling to stay alive from the high voltage of electricity flowing through him because of Ako.

Even though it hurt horribly and Issei was expecting to die, he pressed on, focusing solely on defeating his opponent here and there – no matter the cost! That was the only way, he could get out of this situation.

Motohama was expecting sharp pain at any moment…

But it miraculously never came.

"MEGATON BOULDER PUNCH!" somebody cried out with a loud voice. Kanto looked in the direction of the voice's source, which was rewarded by a…

[WHAM!] "GAAAH!"

…punch to his face and flew face first into the dirt, leaving a burrow in its wake.

With Kanto off him, Motohama could move again. He got up, tenderly rubbing his injured hands while doing so. It was then that Motohama saw just who it was that had rescued him. It was…

"Ryuga!?" Motohama exclaimed with widened eyes.

Indeed. The rescuer was none other than the bandana-wearing boy himself, still wearing his school uniform just like the trio was. But just what on earth was he doing here?

But Ryuga did not turn to face Motohama. Instead, he had his face set towards Kanto, who was picking himself from the dirt.

"Who… who **dares**!?" Kanto growled indignantly, trying to ignore the pain from Ryuga's blow.

Ryuga took a fighting stance and started his opponent down, daring the weakened stray devil to make a move.

"Come on, you many mutt! Do it!" Ryuga taunted Kanto.

"YOU FILTHY HUMAN!" Kanto charged a magical attack in his mouth, ready to obliterate Ryuga with it.

"RYUGA! MOVE! THAT ATTACK IS DANGEROUS!" Motohama shouted.

But Ryuga did not move. He remained completely calm, as if the attack proved no threat to him.

Motohama was sweating bullets. Just what was Ryuga doing?

Then he saw Ryuga make his move. He fastened his bandana from his head and threw it at Kanto.

Just when Kanto reared his head back to shoot…

"GUARGH!?" Kanto made a painful gargling sound.

The reason for that was because blood burst out of his throat. Not only that, but his lower body and legs were severed from the upper half of his body. In other words, Kanto was not only cut in half horizontally, but was also as good as dead.

This was confirmed by the gasping and croaking of Kanto's throat, before it stopped completely.

'Impossible… How can mere humans defeat me…?' Kanto thought with incomprehension, shock and terror on his face.

His head sank down tirelessly and blood was pouring incessantly on the park grounds from his mangled corpse.

Motohama had a look of shock and awe on his face.

"What the…? How…?" Motohama asked incoherently, trying his best to form words for a question on what just happened.

"Iron Cloth Cutting technique," Ryuga answered calmly. "I infuse chi into my bandana and then throw it, giving it greater strength and speed than doing the same without chi. It allows me to cut foes and objects, like that monster-wolf thing or…"

(((BOOM! RUSTLE!)))

Suddenly, a tree just behind Kanto fell down with its trunk cleanly cut from below. Its fall caused an enormous bang and rustle to echo through the park.

"…like that tree there…" Ryuga pointed at the fallen tree with his thumb, indicating that he was the one who felled it.

"AAAARGH! KANTO! I'LL KILL YOU! ALL YOU SACRED GEAR USERS CAN DIE!" Ako screamed in uncontrollable rage and fury. She tried to intensify her electrification, but her body was long past its limit.

Ryuga and Motohama looked and saw the end of Issei's fight.

The reason for that was that her body was almost completely covered in ice. Her strength of her electric current had weakened significantly. It was a miracle that she was still alive and kicking.

That was even more true for Issei. His body has almost completely blackened because of the intense voltage. Yet, he still remained conscious and never stopped the attack.

"DAMN YOU… DAMN… you…" Ako's voice grew weaker, as the ice on her body was spreading and growing thicker.

Eventually her voice was heard no more and her body was completely covered in ice (except her head).

Seeing that the fight was over, Issei fell on his back and breathed heavily in exhaustion. His face and arms had turned black considerably because of the electrical shock and Issei himself looked pretty bad.

Motohama and Ryuga ran up to him to make sure he was OK.

"Oh, thank goodness…You're OK…" Motohama sighed in relief upon seeing Issei breathing and conscious.

"Ryuga…? Cough… cough… What….?" Issei wanted to ask Ryuga, but his body hurt, and he felt like had smoked too much.

"I don't know why he is here either. All I know is that at least we are safe, and the stray devils are no more…" Motohama assured Issei.

"That's good…" Issei said tired. He was so tired and injured he just wanted to just rest here and now.

But suddenly, they heard footsteps coming towards them.

"RAAAHHH!" a cry was heard followed by a slashing sound, which was accompanied by Ako's head rolling off her body.

The culprit was none other than Matsuda, who apparently regained consciousness and had lashed out at the frozen Ako by beheading her with the Nordic short sword.

"That was for Phoebe…" Matsuda spat at the frozen and dead Ako.

With that, the stray devil ring had met their untimely end. Their victims were avenged. The citizens of Nerima no longer had to fear being killed by the likes of Ako, Kao, Oka and Kanto ever again.

All thanks to our heroes Issei, Ddraig, Matsuda and Motohama.

"Hold it!"

…and Ryuga Nabiki, of course… sorry…

"Can somebody tell me what's going on!?" Ryuga demanded.

* * *

 **And that concludes the end of Chapter 27 of the Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **The perverted quartet has reigned victorious against the stray devil ring and killed them off – with Ryuga's help, of course.**

 **But how on earth did Ryuga find out where they were? Find out next time with the epilogue of the Stray Devil Arc.**

 **Now, the reason for me making this arc was because our heroes are not quite ready to take on stronger enemies and still needed to face "weaker" opponents. Also, I wanted to give them time to develop detective skills, something clearly needed to find the stray devils' trail.**

 **Now, I have to admit that Matsuda and Motohama managed to fight the stray devils off quite well. But as the enemies grow stronger, I wonder if they can keep with stronger enemies like Loki…? Issei is one thing, but those two? That is a question for another time.**

 **I should also mention that in the next chapter, not only will I be dealing with the epilogue of this arc but deal with the perverted quartet's first week in school to get an overview of their school life. I will also delve into their interactions with some of the Ranma-like characters that are in Furinkan Vocational School, as well as introduce some of them for the first time.**

 **It will be a fun comical chapter. That much I can tell you. Consider it a break from all the fighting our heroes have to do before resuming their fight against supernatural beings.**

 **One more thing: Thanks for your reviews. They really help me correct whatever mistakes I made. That is especially true to the reviewer who pointed out my mix-up with Ako and Kao in Chapter 24.**

 **So, once again. Thanks. I mean it.**

 **Please read and review. I would like to hear from you.**

 **And I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	36. Chapter 28 - Aftermath of The Strays

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **It has been less than two weeks since the last chapter. I haven't been able to finish a chapter in this short a timespan since the earliest chapters of the story. Then again, I have had a week's worth of annual leave, which gives me plenty of time to write.**

 **As I promised in the last chapter, this chapter is going to deal with the epilogue of the Stray Devil Arc. It will be relatively short, but the next chapter will (hopefully) be released more quickly.**

 **I originally wanted to throw in the epilogue and the fun filler content into the same chapter. But because of issues of length, I decided to separate the two of them and make this one about the epilogue. Sorry to disappoint you…**

 **And also: For those who can't seem to wait for me to get to the canon timeline, please be patient. I will get there soon, but much will be happening until then. And if I don't continue this story, then either I am incapacitated or dead.**

 **Anyway… please enjoy… with…**

Chapter 28 – Aftermath of the Strays

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 6:35 pm – Johoku Chuo Park, Nerima_

Although it had been cloudy and windy earlier that day, right at that moment the wind had subsided and the evening sun could be seen, giving the people in Japan a wonderful view of the sky. The trees and the grass of the park basked in the evening sunlight, swaying peacefully in the gentle breeze.

How coincidental then, that the wind and gray ominous clouds had disappeared about the same time Issei, Matsuda, Motohama, Ddraig and Ryuga had defeated and killed the three Stray Devils. As their corpses lay there bloodied, mutilated, frozen, sliced up – you name it – our heroes were currently sitting on a bench in the park and were explaining to the persistent Ryuga what had happened. They told them about how supernatural beings existed and about Sacred Gears like Issei's Boosted Gear. Ryuga also learned how because of Issei, Matsuda and Motohama got dragged into this fight against nefarious supernatural beings. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama ended their explanation by telling him about Stray Devils and everything they knew about those particular Stray Devils lying dead before them.

The three of them did make sure not to tell Ryuga about how they were escaped felons or how they changed their names. They did not want Ryuga to call the cops on them or tell it to someone else.

At the end of their explanation, Ryuga was massaging his temples.

He had to say. That was a lot to take in. And he thought he had seen everything…

"That's quite the story, guys…" Ryuga remarked.

"You can say that again… cough…" Issei nodded, while leaning against one of the armrests of the bench (he was still injured after all, but was still able to walk and sit). Truly, few people could claim to encounter supernatural beings or monsters and live to tell the tale.

"So… are you the only one who has this… Sacred Gear thingy…? What about you two?" Ryuga looked at Matsuda and Motohama.

Motohama and Matsuda looked at each other. Matsuda handed over Motohama's seax back to him and nodded, as if to say that it was OK to tell Ryuga.

Motohama took the seax and lifted it up.

"This is my Nordic short sword. Apparently, it can deflect magical attacks or something… and cut things up, like swords do, I guess. I haven't been able to use it today…" Motohama admitted sheepishly, before quickly showing his black glue gloves. "Oh! But I do have these! I can create glue cubes that can trap my opponents in it. They really come in handy!" he said with pride.

"That's nice… So… you've got two Sacred Gears?" Ryuga concluded, half-asking.

Motohama and Matsuda were taken aback by Ryuga's remark and looked at each other again.

"Say, are these things even Sacred Gears?" Motohama asked Matsuda, while gesturing at his gloves and seax.

Matsuda shook his head. "As far as I know, they aren't. They're just magical items, I guess…" Matsuda responded, not too sure about his answer. He turned back to Ryuga. "Well, my gift is the Chopping Board Type 2, a magically shrinking and growing helicopter. But… unfortunately… she got destroyed…" he finished his sentence with a look of sadness on his face.

A tense silence reigned between the four boys for a few seconds, before Ryuga dared to raise the question.

"How did she get destroyed?" Ryuga asked cautiously.

Matsuda sighed, before answering. "She got shot down by one of the Stray Devils here… May she rest in peace… it was nice knowing you, even if it was just for a few days…"

Matsuda closed his eyes and folded his hands in front of his chest in prayer, wishing Phoebe's soul to rest in the afterlife…

{Captain} a familiar monotonous robotic female voice came from Matsuda's watch, startling everyone present.

"What the- Who was that!?" Ryuga looked around in alarm and fury. He thought it was another enemy like the Stray Devils.

Issei and Motohama on the other hand, knew this voice.

""PHOEBE!?"" the two of them cried out in surprise. Issei had to cough multiple times for exerting himself.

{Correct. It is me} Phoebe responded as monotonously as ever.

Matsuda trembled in shock, as he stared at his wristwatch. "Is… Is that really you…?" he asked hopefully.

{Indeed. I have to note that just because the Chopping Board Type 2 has been destroyed, doesn't mean that I have died. For one, an A. I. such as myself cannot die. Additionally, as long as my system has not been destroyed, I will continue to function and repair the Chopping Board Type 2. This will take about 24 hours by the way} Phoebe explained Matsuda.

Matsuda's mouth stood agape for a while. Then his eyes teared up and he had to wipe them away.

"Thank goodness… I thought I lost you…" Matsuda said, while choking up.

Issei and Motohama smiled warmly, as Matsuda rested his head on his wristwatch. "All's well that ends well…" Issei remarked.

They all basked at this touching scene for a while, before Motohama turned to Ryuga once more.

"I'm confused about something. How did you find out where we were? In fact, why were you following us to begin with?" Motohama asked.

Ryuga leaned back on the bench he was sitting, his arms behind him, as he tried to formulate an answer.

"It's kinda hard to say," Ryuga answered with a shrug. "I guess it was your weird interest in my story that made me suspicious… It could have also been how eager you were to deal with these devils that came off to me like you were detectives or crime fighters or something like that… Whatever the case, I knew something was up. So, I tried to follow you after school, but you were gone before I could even do so. At first, I gave up and went to train in the streets, then I came across Kasumi Tengu who wasn't looking so good. In fact, she looked like she had been through hell!"

"Wait, wait…" Matsuda held his hands up to make Ryuga pause. "Who is Kasumi Tengu?"

"She is the older sister of Nakane Tengu, you know Sanma's fiancée?" Ryuga spat out the name of his rival disdainfully.

Everybody nodded and gestured him to continue.

"So anyway, Kasumi came running towards me, all messy, covered in leaves and frightened. I went up to her, asked her what was wrong. You know what she told me?" Ryuga asked rhetorically. "She told me that while she was out shopping, she was knocked out by someone from behind. After she woke up, she found herself in this park with this mean talking wolf terrorizing her until 'three heroes' came to rescue her with some strange weapons. It was then that I realized that she had seen at least one of the same creatures I had seen earlier. And as for those 'three heroes', well, I had a sneaking suspicion you three were involved, so I came running as fast as I could. The rest you know."

Matsuda, Issei and Motohama nodded with interest. So, the young woman they rescued from near death was the one who told Ryuga where they were… that explains a lot…

"But seriously, for all these 'Sacred Gears' you sure got your butts whipped easily," Ryuga made a snide remark.

"Excuse me!? Cough… cough…" Issei coughed after raising his voice in outrage.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Motohama demanded offended.

"Yeah, explain," Matsuda demanded indignantly.

"What I mean is that you guys don't have any martial arts training. For non-martial artists you may be decent, but look. From what I have seen, none of you have gone through any toughness training or else you could defeat those Stray Devils just with physical strength alone. Instead, you, Matsuda," Ryuga pointed at Matsuda. "You got knocked out unconscious. Motohama was about to be turned into dinner by one of them. And Issei… well, he obviously defeated his opponent on his own thanks to his… uh… Sacred Gear… yeah, that was it… pretty handy, but clearly with a lot of room for potential. I mean, if you can kill gods with it, surely killing some devils should be nothing to you. Am I right?"

The three boys gritted their teeth angrily. Not only did Ryuga's words cause them a lot of humiliation, but they also rung completely true.

Ddraig promised them that the enemies they would come across would become stronger and stronger. And seeing how the three of them almost died today, that realization hit them deep. Had it not been for Ryuga, they wouldn't even be alive.

What's more, Ryuga could back up his words with his deeds. He did take out the Stray Devil leader with his bandana – his friggin' bandana – in one throw! That wasn't something just anybody could do and unlike Issei, Ryuga could never kill a god.

Still, Motohama could not help but throw back some retorts at him.

"That coming from the guy that got traumatized by them and had to come to us for therapy!" Motohama sneered.

Ryuga seethed in response. "You take that back…" he growled.

"Yeah! Come to think of it, Motohama is right. If they were soooooo easy to beat, how come you had to run and hide from them the day before?" Matsuda pointed out with a smirk on his face.

Ryuga was taken aback by Matsuda's reasoning and tried his best to come up with an answer.

"There were… reasons… I… uh… just wasn't feeling so well, that's all…" Ryuga managed to say, which did not come off as very convincing.

"Oh yeah? And what reasons were those?" Matsuda challenged him.

"None of your business!" Ryuga shouted and clenched his fists, getting ready to brain them in. Matsuda and Motohama were getting ready to fight, as well, but Issei's coughing broke that mood.

"Cough… cough…" Issei interrupted. "As much as I'd like to see you three fight, I don't think fighting with your injuries is a good idea… cough… hack… And besides, I want to go home and take a rest. So, if you guys don't mind…"

Matsuda and Motohama broke their gaze away from Ryuga and turned their attention to Issei.

"Sure, no problem, man…" Motohama nodded. He had almost forgotten about their injuries and was feeling the fatigue come back to him.

"Here, let me help," Matsuda said to Issei, as he and Motohama approached Issei.

They lifted Issei up and supported Issei's arms under their shoulders and headed home.

Ryuga said nothing. He just sat there, as they made their way home, limping as they went.

It had been a long and brutal day for them, full of drama, deduction, death and destruction. They just wanted to forget about everything and go to sleep.

However, there were some questions on their mind that Issei could not shake off. How could they become stronger? If they came across enemies with similar strength to that of the Stray Devils from earlier, they would get killed. Ryuga's words echoed in their mind. He was on to something when he talked about improving physical strength. Maybe Ddraig had a few pointers. Who knows? Maybe they should ask Ryuga about it tomorrow at school.

But there was another thing that bothered Issei. Just how did those Stray Devils even come into their world in the first place? As far as Ddraig told him, Devils lived in the Underworld, so how could they come into this world?

And more importantly, who were their masters and why weren't they doing something about them? He remembered the recording of the first Stray Devil they had killed yesterday. She mumbled something about a mistress mistreating her in favor of Sacred gear users. He could sort of understand running away from that sort of thing and becoming a Stray. It was slavery after all. The Devils and their Evil Pieces system…

But whatever the answer to all of Issei's erstwhile questions may be, the two biggest questions are:

How many of these Stray Devils were running about in this world?

And… were their masters going to come after them next?

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 7:12 pm – Occult Research Club room, Kuoh Academy, Kuoh_

Currently, Rias Gremory was calmly sipping from a cup. In it was oolong tea that Akeno made for her. Being well-versed in making tea for tea ceremonies, Akeno never failed to disappoint Rias.

However, even that did not comfort Rias in her disappointment.

She, Sona and their peerages had gone out of her way yesterday to find the perverted trio and come back empty-handed. It was bad enough that she, Akeno, Yuuto and Koneko could not find them the first time. But failing to find them a second time felt even worse!

How could they just disappear? And where was the wreckage of the black helicopter. It wasn't like they could just fix it up and get it going again.

Regardless, of how they got away, she was once again at a dead end. What was she going to do? It would only be a matter of time until her wedding day with Raiser Phoenix came along. And there was no way that she would allow it to happen?

Rias put her teacup down on the table and buried her hear in her knees. What was she going to do?

Maybe she should try looking for another Sacred Gear user, for Issei Hyoudou is currently not an option.

Just then, a knock on her door was heard. Rias turned to the door.

"Come in," she said and the door opened.

In came Sona Sitri with a stern face as usual.

"Rias?" Sona addressed her friend.

"Sona, what is it?" Rias asked tiredly.

"I just received a report that stray devils have been sighted in Tokyo. There have been 45 victims killed so far…" Sona explained, but Rias was not in the mood.

"Not now, Sona. Besides, Tokyo isn't exactly in our jurisdiction," Rias stated.

Sona could not help but feel empathy, even if face did not show it. "Rias, is this about you not finding the perverted trio and the Red Dragon Emperor?"

"I… Well… sigh… yes…" Rias admitted with a sigh, while leaning on the sofa's armrest. "I just don't know what to do…"

"Rias. Whether you like it or not. Our duty is our duty. If we are told to hunt down stray devils, we do it – that includes Tokyo. If there was a devil governor there or someone from the supernatural world watching over that place, it would be a different thing," Sona told Rias.

"Except that there is none. Nobody has been able to claim that place as their own because of how big and uncontrollable it is," Rias added.

"Exactly," Sona made her point. "So, let us…"

She was suddenly interrupted by a sigil appearing in the room. Out of it came a tall man with long red hair similar to Rias and a short young woman with twin-tails and a magic girl costume. Both of them widened their eyes upon realizing who they were.

"Nii-san!" "Onee-sama!" they both exclaimed in surprise.

Indeed. But not only were they the older brother and sister of Rias and Sona respectively. They were also Maous. Their names were Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan, some of the most powerful people in the Underworld.

"Sona-chan!" the twin-tailed woman squealed in delight and hugged Sona tightly.

"Onee-sama! What are you doing here?" Sona demanded, as she struggled to get her older sister off her back.

"And what are you doing here, Nii-san?" Rias asked her older brother.

"We took the rest of the day off," Sirzechs answered with a gallant smile and chuckle.

"Yes! Because we love you so much! Ehehehehe…" Sona said, while rubbing her forehead against Sona's cheek – to the latter's chagrin.

"But we also came to tell you something else," Sirzechs said, his face turning more serious.

"Something else?" Rias raised her eyebrow.

"Onee-sama! Let go off me!" Sona yelled, as she finally freed herself from Serafall's grip.

"Boohoo… Sona-chan doesn't want to cuddle with me…" Serafall said with mock tears.

"Umm… Serafall, if you don't mind…" Sirzechs said to his colleague, suggesting she calm down.

Serafall got the message and calmed herself down. She took her seat next to Sona on one of the sofas, while Sirzechs remained standing and cleared his throat.

"Now… what was I going to say? Oh, yes! I'm sure the two of you are informed about the report about the stray devils appearing in Tokyo. Am I right?" Sirzechs asked Rias and Sona.

The two of them nodded and Sirzechs continued. "According to reports from our agents, the ward in Tokyo where they are reported to have been roaming is no longer neutral territory."

Rias and Sona raised their eyebrows with interest. "Why is that, Lord Lucifer?" Sona asked politely.

"It is because that area has been claimed and controlled by a certain faction," Sirzechs answered.

"A faction did!?" Rias cried out incredulously. "Tell me, Onii-sama! Who?"

"And which ward?" Sona added.

Sirzechs took a deep breath, before answering.

"It isn't just one ward, it is several areas, in fact. They are…"

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 7:18 pm – Johoku Chuo Park, Nerima_

"Look at this destruction, guys…" one of the police officers at the scene said amazed.

He had been to the park multiple times, but this is the first time he had seen the park so… chaotic.

There dirt furrows everywhere, trees sliced up and even the remains of blood, bones and flesh.

"Judging by the scene, it is clear that there must have been some kind of fight going on," one of his colleagues pointed out. "And the losers... were those… wolves… winged creatures? I don't know…?" he said and gestured at the corpses of the dead stray devils.

"But guys," a third colleague spoke up. "What's even weirder is that this headless female human with wings…" he pointed at Ako's ice-encased headless body. "…even exists. The wings were real and the ice is also real. In fact, evidence suggests, it wasn't even an hour since she was frozen and killed. Meaning…"

"…that something truly bizarre is going on…" the first police man concluded. The other police officers nodded with him.

"Say, do you think that the freezing of the Arakawa river has something to do with it?" said a fourth colleague.

"What makes you think that?" the third police man asked.

"I mean, in both cases we see thick ice being formed in temperatures on which water shouldn't even be freezing. I'm guessing that whoever froze over that river and froze this woman must have been the same person," the fourth police officer reasoned.

"Or at the very least, if there had been two different people for each of the cases involved, then they must have some kind of connection with each other…" the second police officer concluded.

"Hey, speaking of connections…" a fifth colleague spoke up. "…wasn't it a wolf who was the killer of the most recent murder case last night?"

"Now that I think about it, you're be right…" the first police officer said. "…it may be that the dead wolf here was the killer…"

"But who are those women with wings? Were they enemies of the wolf or allies?" the fourth colleague asked everyone.

"Beats me," the third one shrugged with his shoulders.

"Whatever the case, I think we should wait for Inspector Kogoro to arrive," the second officer said.

Just then, the inspector arrived and the men saluted him.

"Sir, we've finished securing the evidence and have come out to the following conclusions," the first officer said to the inspector.

"And what have you found out?" the inspector named Kogoro asked.

The men presented what they had found out and their theories on what had happened.

After hearing their explanations, the inspector made the following remark.

"You know, speaking of coinciding supernatural occurrences, I think I should make a phone call to Inspector Kuraido in Kuoh."

"How so, sir?" the representative of all the police officers present asked.

"Because he is the one investigating the mysterious black helicopter that flew towards Tokyo a few days ago," Inspector Kogoro answered, as he took a cigar to his mouth and a lighter from his pocket to smoke. "Call it a hunch, but I have the feeling that even that is connected to what has transpired here."

Inspector Kogoro puffed a smoke from his mouth, which went into the wonderful evening sky and dissipated.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 7:52 pm – the Perverted Quartet's apartment block, Nerima_

It was a long painful walk for the three boys because of their injuries – especially for Issei. Something that was not helped by the reprimands of a certain dragon.

 **[I'm telling you boys that letting him into this is insane]** Ddraig argued.

"Ryuga had already seen so much. What did it even matter if we told him about the supernatural or not?" Matsuda responded, while still supporting the injured Issei with his shoulder.

 **[It matters because… because…]** Ddraig tried to argue, but could not come up with a response.

"Is it about this thing about not allowing people to know about the supernatural? If so, then I have to ask why the **heck** we should be keeping secret about all this when people's lives are in danger from that world?" Matsuda challenged Ddraig.

"Come to think of it, it is a common cliché found in anime, manga and other forms of media. You know, where everybody for some reason just has to keep the supernatural a secret just for the sake of keeping it secret? Why is that so?" Motohama wondered.

Before the conversation could continue, the landlord Hide came in. "Why hello there, boys. How are- ? Whoa! What happened to you!?" Hide asked in shock and pointed at the injured boys, especially Issei.

"We… cough… cough…" Issei tried to speak, but couldn't because of his injuries.

"We… uh…" Matsuda tried to make an excuse.

"Well…" Motohama tried to do the same thing.

However, it was Ddraig that beat them to it.

 **[We fought those stray devils that had been on our tails and killed them. It wasn't an easy fight, those three here fought as well as they could, but couldn't overcome the enemy had it not been for one of their classmates who just happened to be nearby]** Ddraig answered truthfully.

The trio's faces showed shock at Ddraig's bluntness. Hide's shocked expression, on the other hand, relaxed and breathed in relief.

"I see… Well, you best get some rest then. I'll tend to your injuries. Do you mind if I come in?" Hide asked.

The three boys still showed shock, before Matsuda slapped his forehead.

"I always forget that you know about the supernatural! I don't know why?" Matsuda said in realization.

"You know, that sort of answers my own answer, come to think of it… Not speaking about supernatural occurrences is a natural instinct…" Motohama concluded.

"Cough… cough… No problem, Hide-san. Please, come in… cough… cough…" Issei answered the landlord.

They went inside the apartment. While Hide had the boys sit down and tend to their wounds, the boys and Ddraig continued their conversation.

 **[I'll tell you what. From now on, you tell anyone about me or the supernatural, you inform me first]** Ddraig said to the three boys.

Matsuda rolled his eyes. "Whatever… as long as it makes you happy…" he replied disinterested.

Nobody said a word after that.

Issei, who was lying on the couch, was coughing and hacking. Hide was quick to fetch him some water, which Issei drank carefully because of the pain.

 **[Partner, once you have recovered, I will definitely put you through my training regime. Something that I should have put you through much earlier, had it not been for certain interruptions]** Ddraig said, referring to their previous adventures.

Issei groaned, but reluctantly admitted inwardly that Ddraig was right.

He needed to get stronger – a lot stronger – or else he would be dead for real.

Issei feared the agony he would be going through shortly after recovery. Could he even catch a break?

"So, boys… how was your first day at school today?" Hide asked them, while checking Matsuda's body for injuries.

Matsuda and Motohama shrugged.

"It was fine, I guess…" Motohama replied.

"It had some… weird, but interesting people in it. But nothing too bad…" Matsuda added, though he could not help but frown at the thought of that jerk Sanma and how he had beaten them up.

"That's nice… any homework today?" Hide asked this time.

This caused all the boys to freeze.

"Umm… boys?" Hide asked worried.

After that, a loud scream of a certain trio of boys could be heard through the building.

The reason? They had completely forgotten about today's homework.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Monday, 8:00 pm – somewhere on the rooftops of Nerima_

The sun was disappearing to the west and night was falling. Traffic was also slowing and people were getting ready to retire for the day. Others would start working at this time around, some of them being the shady denizens that exist in Tokyo.

One such person was currently on the roof a high-rise apartment block in Nerima.

"It's a sunset… And also, the end of the old day…" a mysteriously cloaked man wearing a fedora said, while gazing at the sunset.

"It's always been that way since the earth began…" he remarked, as he turned around and looked to the east towards the ocean and its distant horizon.

"But with the old day ending…" he continued, as he went towards the edge of the building.

"…starts a new day. A new era!" the man jumped off the building and plummeted towards the earth and then…

[FWOOSH!]

…he suddenly spread black wings from his back and flew. The upward draft carried his body up.

In the distance he saw others just like him, ten in number and flew towards them. They greeted each other with a nod and flew down towards the city.

"Now begins an era of opportunity and prosperity for the Grigori," said one of the winged men.

"Yes, it does. It wasn't easy to convince the Shinto Factions, but it will be well worth the results," said another one.

"Tokyo is a world city after all. Why wouldn't it be?" another one asked rhetorically.

"Unfortunately, we only got two areas that are part of Tokyo, while the rest belong to Saitama Prefecture," argued another.

"But it's a start," said the one with the fedora. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting them to be this generous. But then again, I guess they can be persuaded by the promise of Grigori technology and research, along with services to hunt Stray Devils down for them."

"So, what do we do now?" asked a blonde woman in the group.

"We scout the places allotted to us. Then, we'll meet up again and discuss the next steps," said the one in the fedora.

"Understood. Where do you want us to go?" she asked.

"Susa, you go to look at Wako with Shealtiel. Reuben will go with Elijah and scout out Asaka. Simeon and Levi will check out Itabashi. Sumire and Zaavan will explore Niiza. Zaccai and Laadan will fly to Kiyose. I will go and see if our allies the Stray Priests have arrived," the leader said.

Just before he was about to depart, two of the remaining winged men sought his attention.

"And what shall we do?" one of the two remaining men asked.

The fedora-wearing man frowned, but then realized that he forgot an area – something those two could easily scout.

"Yuuda and Yuki will search out Nerima. Now, if there are no further questions, then let us head out," the leader announced.

""Yes, Dohnaseek!"" Yuuda and Yuki responded and headed out with the rest.

The leader, known as Dohnaseek, headed out as well. And thus, the sky was empty of the Fallen Angels, devoid of any evidence that they were there in the first place. The only evidence there was, were the descending black feathers of the Fallen Angels.

* * *

 **And that was the epilogue of the Stray Devil Arc.**

 **I have to say that for how short it was, I did reveal quite a lot on where the next arc was going next.**

 **Yes, the next arc will involve Fallen Angels and Stray Priests. But before I get there, I am planning to release the filler chapter first.**

 **The police will also get more involved in the future. But in what way? You'll have to wait and see.**

 **And as for the devils, Rias and Sona may have lost track of Issei and the others, but since I will be getting into the main story line sooner or later, they will meet. I promise you that.**

 **But in the meantime, what did you think of this chapter. Did you like it. Or were you disappointed because I couldn't release the filler.**

 **Please read and review. I would like to hear from you.**

 **And as always, I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


	37. Chapter 29 - Daily Life at Furinkan

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

 **Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.**

 **I'm sorry for taking five weeks but if you have read my profile, you would have known that 1) I was in Scotland for a few days with my family and 2) I was sick for some time.**

 **A third reason for the delay was that I had a lot more to add into this chapter than I thought.**

 **But without further ado, let us dive right into the filler chapter.**

 **What are boys going to go through in this chapter.**

 **Find out in…**

Chapter 29 – Daily Life at Furinkan

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 5:00 am – trio's apartment, Nerima_

It was very early. The sun had not even come out yet and Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were still sleeping. And they would have remained that way, had it not been for…

 **[Everybody, wake up!]**

…the loud voice of Ddraig, who had manifested himself in the form of the Boosted Gear and made the boys wake up startled.

"What the...?" "What's going on?" "Haa…?" The three boys groaned, as they opened their eyelids.

 **[It's time to train!]** Ddraig announced with authority. But the boys quickly lay down and tried to get some sleep.

 **[I did not say you could go to sleep!]** Ddraig called out annoyed.

Annoyed, Issei spoke up. "Look, Ddraig… I know training is important and all… But we're still recovering from our injuries from our last fight."

"Yeah… Wait until we've healed…" Matsuda responded groggily.

 **[First, we don't know when the enemy will strike next. It could be today, tomorrow or next week. In either case, the sooner you three start training, the better prepared you will be when the time comes. Secondly, what are you talking about injuries? Your injuries have completely healed overnight]** Ddraig pointed out.

Issei looked at his own body and touched himself all over. To his surprise, Ddraig was right. His wounds and his coughing were gone. Even the bandages were gone as well. It was as if he was never wounded at all.

Matsuda and Motohama did the same and found that they, too, were free from injuries.

"What? But how…?" Issei said amazed. He could not comprehend his quick recovery. He looked to the Boosted Gear.

"Our injuries! They're gone!" Matsuda said with amazement, as he probed his body. No pain anywhere. It was like they were magically healed.

 **[See? Now, you have no excuse. Get dressed, and start running! Don't forget your things either]** Ddraig said to them.

The boys' delight deflated. Oh, dang it… They were so caught up in their joy that they forgot about Ddraig's instructions.

"Ok… but after we get dressed, can we have breakfast?" Issei wanted to know.

 **[No]** Ddraig simply replied.

"What!?" Motohama yelped in surprise .

"Why not?" Matsuda followed.

 **[Because you can eat at school or eat on the way]** Ddraig simply replied.

"But Ddraig, that costs money!" Issei protested.

 **[I don't care. We go as soon as possible. If you had wanted to eat breakfast, you should have gotten up at four]** Ddraig told them.

The boys looked at the Boosted Gear shocked. Getting up at four in the morning? That's crazy…

"D-Ddraig… Why are you doing this…?" Issei whispered.

 **[Because you three need it. We start jogging around the area, scout out good places to run. Then, we will do some exercises, such as push-ups and jumping jacks. After that, you will brush up your hand-to-hand fighting skills and then your weapons skills. You, Issei, will be given a special training regiment given the Boosted Gear's potential. Get your gym clothes on, but take your school uniforms and bags with you. We need every minute that we can get and we can't waste it by returning here, getting dressed for school and then going from here]** Ddraig outlined the agenda.

By now despair was clouding the boys' faces. For Issei, it was especially bad, since he would be pushed harder than Matsuda and Motohama. It was then that Motohama had a question.

"Wait a minute. Wouldn't that mean we would have to get dressed outdoors?" Motohama asked in surprise.

 **[Yes. And you ought to make sure that you hide in some bushes or something when you change into your school uniforms]** Ddraig joked without missing a beat.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were gulping. They were picturing themselves, getting dressed in the bushes only for some passerby to… get the wrong idea about what they were doing… Did they really have to do it?"

 **[Now, if that would be all]** Ddraig spoke. **[Get a move on.]**

Ddraig's tone made it clear that that was it. There was no room for objections.

The boys sighed and went to get their school uniforms and gym clothes.

This was not how they expected the day to start…

After they had left the apartment, I, Hide, smiled. For my deus ex machina healing magic from last night had worked (note: Don't expect me to do it every time they are injured. They have to learn to get through the challenges themselves.)

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 5:56 am – Hikarigaoka Park, Nerima_

The trio's training session went exactly as Ddraig had instructed and man! That was tiresome!

All that running here and there, within Nerima and outside of it, made them more than exhausted. Then again, it felt less like jogging and more like scouting with the occasional sprint. Ddraig had wanted the boys to know their home territory in and out, hence all the scouting.

Eventually, they had reached Hikarigaoka Park, which they had visited just yesterday in order to (unsuccessfully) find the Stray Devils. It was there that they did the bulk of their activities. It went from stretching to push-ups to jumping jacks to close quarter combat training.

Admittedly, it was all rudimentary and far from ideal – especially the close quarter combat. The reason for that was because it involved a lot of rough, but playful wrestling between the boys – not the sort of training that could improve your skills. But Ddraig had told them, he would expand and improve their morning exercises in the future.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had to groan. They really had to do go through all of that every day? And do it on a "more improved" basis? They feared the worst…

Nevertheless, at the very least the last part for today was not as agonizing as the rest. And that was weapons training. That was when Ddraig told them that they should use their time and their imagination to improve on their special gifts, which they had received from Monika and the others.

Matsuda and Motohama wasted no time doing so.

Matsuda was practicing his piloting skills with Phoebe with his controller and shooting targets, such as pebbles. Now granted, he had originally wanted to grow the Chopping Board Type 2 to full size and fly in it, but Ddraig had told him that he risked alerting bystanders. Which is why Matsuda had to settle for remote controlled flight. Matsuda still had some difficulty with remote controlled flight, but Matsuda was positive that he could deal with this.

Motohama was busy with his glue grenade skills, such as practicing his glue cube forming ability and his throwing skills. Motohama made it his goal to improve his combat ability with his gift. Sure, he did well against the Stray Devils, but he could have done better. Also, he remembered how Monika telling him how to form gas with the help of intensive heat or something like that. Sadly, she never elaborated more than that, but Motohama was not giving up this easily. No. He was going to figure out how to do it. Motohama also worked on using his seax properly. It was a gift he had received as well. Using it to his advantage was common sense.

Issei, on other hand, was sweating intensely and every muscle in his body was under a lot of pressure, all while making sure not to collapse. The reason for that was because he was using the Boosted Gear to increase his physical and magical power and make him stronger. Ddraig had instructed Issei to increase the Boosted Gear once and then hold it for five minutes. Then Issei would double his power and hold out for another five minutes and so on. Right now, Issei had boosted three times and had almost passed the five-minute mark.

"Hrrrgh… Hah…" Issei grunted and groaned in agony.

 **[You can do it, Partner. Just a little bit]** Ddraig encouraged his host.

Issei strained and did his best to endure the next five seconds…

Five… four… three… two… one…

 **[Boost!]** Issei doubled his power again.

 **[You did it, Partner! You managed to boost four times and hold out for fifteen minutes in total!]** Ddraig applauded. **[Now for the next five minutes…]**

But Issei barely lasted five seconds, before he collapsed on his knees and dispelled the burden of the Boosted Gear.

 **[Reset!]** It sounded, while Issei fell with his face to the ground. He panted heavily for he was very exhausted, and his muscles felt like they were on fire.

 **[Four boosts. Not bad. But you have to get better than that. By the end of the week I expect you to do six boosts for five minutes each]** Ddraig told Issei.

"Six…?" Issei gave out tired and filled with dread.

He could be lucky, if he managed to reach to five. Ddraig was not going easy on him. Then again, if all his predecessors went through the same training he did, they must have been really strong.

 **[You may take a break for two minutes, Partner. After that we will be working on your Boosted Gear skills. We will start with Dragon Shots, then we go with ice magic and finally we will work on your dragon senses]** Ddraig said to Issei.

Issei nodded. Oh, good… at least these won't be as painful to go through as his Boosted Gear training…

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 6:34 am – Hikarigaoka Park, Nerima_

"Man… I can't… hah… hah…" Issei was panting heavily once again.

The reason? The exercise was tougher than he had imagined. Sure, they weren't as painful as the endurance exercise with the Boosted Gear, but they were taxing in their own way.

Dragon Shot required a lot of repetitive boosting and shooting, which after a while can become tiring. Add aiming and destroying your target to the list and it becomes even more exhausting. In this case, Issei had to shoot targets placed on trees (thanks to Matsuda and Phoebe). Adjusting the Dragon Shot to the size of the rocks and you had the Dragon Shot exercise.

The Ice Magic exercise was less exhausting. This one involved freezing a patch of grass and making the radius as wide as possible – and fast as well. It was kind of fun, but after a while Issei, had to rest for a bit, since it also required boosting from his Sacred Gear and thus also his strength.

The last exercise involved his dragon senses of hearing, smelling and seeing. Ddraig told Issei to sense for animals in the park, using his senses. In other words, Issei was trained to hunt, which was normal for dragons. This was by far the easiest exercise. However, it involved a lot of concentration on Issei's part, which wore him out.

Hence, he was lying pooped out on the grass just trying to catch his breath.

"Hey, Issei," Motohama said as he approached him.

Issei looked up to see his friend with his seax in his hand and a toothy grin on his face, as if making fun of him. In response, Issei simply let his head fall down to the grass, as if to ignore him.

"Did Ddraig put you through the grinder or what?" Motohama chuckled.

Issei did not answer. It was only after ten seconds of silence that he said: "Isn't it obvious?"

Motohama chuckled again. That was when Matsuda joined them with the Chopping Board Type 2 and his controller in his hands.

"What's up? You guys make any progress?" Matsuda asked them, as he grinned happily.

Motohama shrugged. "What can I say? I am trying to get a better grip on the sword and improve my glue cube throwing skills in general. I can't say that I have gotten far, but it's still the first day. What about you, Matsuda?"

"I am training my piloting skills with Phoebe. We'll be trying all kinds of things and so far so good," Matsuda answered.

"Good to hear. But did any of you guys sweat and strain yourselves?" Issei said, as he propped himself up.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at Issei confused.

"What do you mean?" Matsuda replied with a look that wondered whether his friend was mental. "Of course, we did. Or weren't you paying attention during our warm-up exercises?"

"No, you dolts," Issei retorted with a frown. "I am talking about your exercises with your weapons."

""Ohhh…"" Motohama and Matsuda realized and shook their heads, as if to say no.

"Well, I did. Using the Boosted Gear to the max is torture. I had to…" Issei explained all the things he had to do, which left his friends dumbfounded.

Matsuda and Motohama could not believe it. It truly was torture what Issei had to go through – especially the first exercise. If they had to do everything Issei did, they would die from exhaustion. The two sighed relieved inwardly at that knowledge.

However, Matsuda had a question.

"Say, Ddraig? How much stronger can Issei even become?" he asked Ddraig.

Issei looked down at his arm and the Boosted Gear manifested itself.

 **[A lot stronger. Think about how strong I was in my prime]** Ddraig answered proudly.

Matsuda and Motohama did not say a word. Inwardly, they could only fathom (or not) just how powerful Ddraig was. However, that also meant…

 **[Alright, enough break time. It's time for teamwork exercises]** Ddraig announced out of the blue.

All three boys looked at the Boosted Gear in shock.

"Teamwork exercises!? You never said anything about…" Issei protested, but Ddraig cut him off.

 **[I came up with it a few minutes ago]** Ddraig said quickly. **[And you still have at least an hour until school begins. Now, get to it.]**

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama groaned and stood up. They were still kind of tired from their exercises – especially Issei. But seeing that they had plenty of time to spare and Ddraig would not take no for an answer, they got ready for the final stretch of their morning exercises.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 7:50 am – Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

In what felt like a friggin' eternity, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had finally stumbled into the school grounds.

Why? Because of Ddraig's exercises from hell (or the Dragon's Den, as Ddraig had told them to put it. Hell was the abode of the Devils and thus did not like the comparison). It mostly involved combat training, in which Ddraig taught them how to work together in a fight. It made sense and ended up kind of fun, yet still exhausting. It was through these exercises that Issei, Matsuda and Motohama had learned to coordinate and time their attacks and maneuvers in order to come better prepared to a tag team fight. Before they ended the exercises, everyone came to the agreement that they would definitely work on their team combos.

The first thing they did after their exercises was getting into their school uniforms. The three of them made sure to do it in the bushes, so nobody could spot them while doing so. Thankfully, nobody spotted them, though the boys could have sworn they heard something.

The first one to approach the tired three boys that day was Ryuga.

"What's the matter with you? You look like you've been running a marathon?" Ryuga joked.

"Sadly, it wasn't just that…" Issei sighed.

That was when Ryuga dropped his jovial expression and turned shocked and serious.

"Don't tell me… that you encountered more of these damn beasts from yesterday!" Ryuga growled indignantly at the thought of Stray Devils causing death and mayhem in his town.

To Ryuga's surprise, they shook their heads with Motohama speaking up. "No, nothing like that. We just had an intense morning workout this morning. You know, just so we are prepared for the next fight and… boy was that exhausting…"

"Oh…" Ryuga said, now calm once more.

Nothing more was said for a while, as the four boys made their way to class.

On the way, Issei asked Ryuga something.

"Hey, Ryuga? How early in the morning do you get up?" Issei wanted to know.

Ryuga looked back at Issei with a frown. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you see… I was wondering if you could help us train in martial arts when we do our morning exercises …" Issei said.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Matsuda and Motohama suddenly yelled at the top of their lungs, causing everybody to freeze and look at them in surprise.

Issei and Ryuga could not help but feel embarrassed for being in the middle of a scene and tried to get everybody to leave.

"What are you people staring at? Get lost!" Ryuga told the onlookers rudely, which caused them to frown and mumble, yet leave, nonetheless.

But Matsuda and Motohama weren't even bothered by the attention and followed up with their next questions.

"Do you have any idea… How HARD it is just to go through Ddraig's regimen?" Matsuda asked incredulously at the thought that Issei wanted more of that torture.

"Yeah, especially for you! Do you want to die?" Motohama asked in utter incomprehension.

Issei lifted his hands to placate them. "Guys hear me out. OK?" he asked of them.

Matsuda and Motohama were still livid, but they decided to say nothing and hear Issei out.

"Look… In the future we're going to fight stronger enemies. We all know that. We have to come prepared. So, what better way than to learn martial arts? Ryuga here is a martial artist. You all saw what he could do. If we learn some pointers from him, we could use some real fighting skills and not our improvised CQC," Issei made his case to them.

Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other uncertain and then back at Issei.

"I guess it makes sense…" Motohama said with reluctance.

"…but what if we're too pooped from Ddraig's exercises?" Motohama asked.

"Didn't we do the exercises right after our warm-up routine? Besides, we can modify our training with Ddraig in the future, right?" Issei reasoned.

Matsuda and Motohama gave it some thought and slowly nodded to the idea.

"What do you think, Ryuga?" Issei turned to Ryuga. "Can you help us?"

Ryuga crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Why? What's in it for me?" Ryuga asked with a challenging look.

Issei was caught by surprise. He was not expecting this reaction from the bandana boy.

"What do you mean by that?" Issei asked Ryuga unsure.

"I'm saying: That I've got nothing to gain from you by doing this. So, why should I help you?" Ryuga answered.

Issei tried to come up with an answer and came up with this. "We helped you with the incident with the Stray Devils, didn't we?"

Ryuga shrugged. "True. But then I saved you three when you got your butts handed to you, so we're even on that point."

Issei frowned upon hearing this response. That certainly was true… without him, they would not even be here to begin with. They had to offer something else him. But what…?

"Issei?" Motohama approached him upon seeing his friend frozen in thought.

Matsuda simply stared at Issei, wondering what he was thinking about. Ryuga just wanted to go his way and turned heel.

"If you don't have anything else to say, I'll be off. See you," he said and was about to walk away until…

"Martial artists…" Issei began speaking, getting Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga to stop what they were doing.

"Hm?" Ryuga turned to face Issei.

"…they like to become stronger, right? Fighting stronger and stronger opponents… am I right?" Issei asked Ryuga.

Ryuga turned around completely. "Yeah? What of it?" he asked.

"You remember what I told about the Boosted Gear, right? How I can become as strong as the gods? If you help me become stronger, I'll be the ideal sparring partner for you," Issei told him.

Matsuda and Motohama were surprised at Issei's offer. Becoming Ryuga's sparring partner? Was Ryuga really interested in having a mere sparring partner?

Ryuga chuckled mockingly upon hearing Issei's offer. "A sparring partner? You? Come on… Do you really think I don't have anybody to spar with? I've got plenty. Each one of them better than the three of you combined – especially Sanma Raotome. **He** is my rival, not you," he jabbed a finger at Issei, who glared back irritated at Ryuga's attitude. "Besides, if your Gear can get you god-like strength, why not go try it out by trial and error? What do you even need me for?"

Issei said nothing for a few seconds. But then came the answer from his lips.

"Technique…" Issei simply replied.

Ryuga frowned in confusion. "Technique…?"

"You said that I could achieve god-like strength by trial and error. You're right. I could do that, and it might even work. But why do all that when I can avoid all the errors and learn from an expert? And if I can learn martial arts and techniques, then that's even better. Isn't it?" Issei asked rhetorically.

Ryuga snorted. "Yeah, but… so what? You still haven't given me a reason to train you. And being a mere sparring partner won't cut it. So…" Ryuga was about to finish the conversation right here and there, but then Issei said something that stopped Ryuga in his tracks.

"I can help you overcome your fear of the supernatural…" Issei said.

"What…?" Ryuga widened his eyes in surprise.

"You heard me," Issei said seriously. "If you help me learn martial arts, I can help you overcome your fears or help you deal with them better."

Everybody looked at Issei in utter surprise. What on earth was he saying?

Ryuga could not help but twitch his left eye and try to laugh it off.

"Ha! What are you talking about? Overcome my fears? Are you even listening to yourself right now? You're honestly saying that I am…" Ryuga mocked Issei, but the latter cut him off.

"Remember how frightened you were yesterday?" Issei reminded him.

Ryuga froze. Matsuda and Motohama knew why he did. Ryuga just remembered how frightened and traumatized he was yesterday after seeing the Stray Devils the day before. Being reminded of that humiliation made Ryuga seethe with anger within. It was only by a miracle that he did not clobber Issei here and now.

Seeing Ryuga tremble in anger, Matsuda and Motohama gulped nervously and were ready to step in and defuse the situation. However, they didn't pull through on that for Issei had more to say.

"You were frightened because of how unnatural and frightening the Stray Devils were. Up until that point, you had never seen anything supernatural in your life, have you? You did not know how to deal with them, so you ran, right? I know what I said may have hit a sore spot but hear me out. OK?" Issei tried to speak diplomatically to the hot-headed teen.

Ryuga was still angry, yet still didn't say or do anything.

"Well, I understand how you felt," Issei told Ryuga. "In fact, we Matsuda, Motohama and I had to deal with supernatural beings like them before and it was frightening. But you know what? We overcame our fears and defeated them. We grew stronger and yet even then, we have yet to become truly strong. Yes, we have the tools at hand to become stronger and as you noted earlier, we could become stronger without you. But all that we are missing right now – the one huge hole in our skills gap – are martial art skills. Without physical fighting skills, it will only be a matter of time until we get killed by some other supernatural being. You, on the other hand, have the skills to fight off any foe, but have no experience in dealing with supernatural foes. Let me… no, let us help you," Issei pleaded with Ryuga.

Matsuda and Motohama could not help but be impressed and a bit moved by Issei's impromptu speech. Not only was he right, but he was also a good persuader, too. Who knew that he had it in him?

"Matsuda, Motohama, Ddraig and I… we are willing to help you in that department. Only, please… help us in return," Issei ended his plea to Ryuga, whose eyes were covered by bangs.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were nervously awaiting Ryuga to react, whether it be a yes or no. They did not like the awkward silence.

After a few seconds, Ryuga let out a deep breath and spoke with a frown, having clearly calmed down.

"You know, I should have flattened you for that one statement just now," Ryuga said to Issei. "But after hearing your… interesting speech… I'll take up on your offer and help train you."

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama breathed out a sigh of relief and elation. They were tense this entire time. But with Ryuga accepting Issei's request to train them, they could breathe easily.

"So, at what time do you guys start?" Ryuga asked them.

"Say what?" Matsuda asked back confused.

"Your training? When do you get up to start your training?" Ryuga wanted to know.

"Oh! We get up at five am and train till about 7 am," Matsuda answered.

"Really…? That early…?" Ryuga said with a nervous sweatshop rolling down his head.

"Unfortunately…" Motohama sighed. "We'll be doing this every day from today onwards at Hikarigaoka Park…"

"I see… But fine… I'll be there to train you guys... But you better make it worthwhile!" Ryuga added quickly.

Issei saluted playfully. "You got it, sensei!"

Suddenly, the bell rang, indicating that it was time to get to their classes.

"Guys? Any idea where to go?" Issei wanted to know, since he didn't know their timetable that well yet.

"Wait a sec…" Matsuda put down his bag and was about to take out the timetable sheet in his bag.

However, Ryuga rolled his eyes for a bit and gestured the trio to follow him.

"This way. We've got Agricultural classes first thing in the morning," Ryuga told them and went on ahead.

The trio looked at each other confused, but followed him, nonetheless.

"Wait, you are in Asumi-sensei's class?" Motohama asked Ryuga.

Ryuga looked at them weirdly. "What? You mean you didn't notice me?"

All three of them shook their heads. Truth be told, they were too busy thinking about the Stray Devils at that time, trying to focus on classes or staring at their wonderful teacher to have noticed anything else.

Ryuga just shook his head and let the matter end altogether.

On the way, Matsuda realized that something did not make sense.

'Agricultural classes…?' Matsuda wondered.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 8:05 am – on the campus grounds of Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"Alright, ya boys! Ya probably be wondering what Agricultural classes are all about," said the jolly bearded teacher in the overalls to our heroes in his country accent.

His name was Mr. Tadao Tatsuki and he was their teacher for the Agricultural lessons, along with Home Economics and Bio-Chemistry, both of which would take place later today.

Currently, the entire class was in the garden area of the school, wearing green aprons and were examining and picking weeds, flowers and grasses. Why? Because today's lessons involved studying plants. More specifically, it involved studying weeds and their proprieties.

While, everyone was doing this, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were being brought up to speed by Tatsuki-sensei about what the classes were about.

"Yeah, um…" Issei started awkwardly. "It's… a pretty unusual class subject."

"Yeah, I can't think of any other school that has something like this," Motohama remarked.

Tatsuki-sensei smiled proudly. "That's because we're a vocational school and not ya average high school. Now, as I was sayin', here in Agricultural classes we learn about plants, the soil and nature in action. It's mighty important if ya wanna go into the field of agriculture later in life. Today's topic is: weeds. I want ya three ta bring me the plants that ya think are weeds and we'll talk about 'em in ten minutes."

The boys looked around them and saw the students plucking all kinds of plants. Seemed simple enough…

* * *

 _About ten minutes later…_

"All right. Show me what ya have…" Tatsuki-sensei said to the students that had gathered in a semi-circle around him.

"Sensei, is this a weed?" asked a girl with long light-brown hair, as she showed a purple flower.

"Indeed, it is," Tatsuki-sensei nodded. "This weed is an Azami and it's quite common here in Japan. It is also edible, too. Thank ya, Yuka."

After Yuka, came a girl with dark brown hair in a ponytail, who showed everyone her plant, which is a short-lived plant.

"This is a weed, too, right?" the girl asked.

"Yup," Tatsuki-sensei affirmed. "This is the Japanese Knotweed. Also, very common. And it's edible, too. Thanks, Sayuri."

After Sayuri came two boys with light-brown hair and dark-brown hair, who were sniggering for some reason.

Tatsuki-sensei raised his eyebrows at their behavior. "Daisuke, Hiroshi, what is it the two of you find so funny?"

"We… hihihi… also managed to find a weed… hihihi… that's edible…" said the Daisuke.

His companion Hiroshi showed everyone an unused cigarette for some reason.

Tatsuki-sensei had to frown this time. "Boys, it's against the rules to bring cigarettes here," he said sternly.

"But it's not a cigarette. It's a weed… hihihi…" Daisuke could barely hold in his laughter.

This confused Tatsuki-sensei. "A weed. I don't see how…"

""It's… Marijuana! WAHAHAHAHAHA…"" the two boys burst out in uncontrolled laughter.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 9:34 am – cafeteria, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"I can't believe those two got detention for the next week for that," Issei remarked, as he and his buddies were waiting to get their breakfast.

"Me neither…" Motohama added.

"Yeah, I'm surprised they didn't go to jail for that. I mean how come we did?" Matsuda reasoned.

"Shh… Not so loud…" Issei hushed him.

"Sorry…" Matsuda said quietly.

It was then that Ryuga came up to them.

"Guys, I think it's best not to get anything to eat for now," Ryuga told the boys.

This confuse the trio. "Why? Is the food bad?" Motohama asked.

Ryuga quickly shook his head. "No, nothing like that. In fact, it's good. But the reason for that is…"

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 9:58 am – Home Economics room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"…Home Economics?" Issei asked surprised. Before he had known it, he, Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga were wearing white aprons and were at one of the many stoves, getting ready to make something nice to eat… or at least according to Tatsuki-sensei's instructions.

"Plus vite! Plus vite! In kitchens, you don't have time to laze around, Messieurs, Madames… now hurry…" Tatsuki-sensei said in a French accent.

This did not go unnoticed by the trio. "Didn't he have a stereotypical country accent in the last lesson?" Issei asked Ryuga.

Ryuga glanced at the teacher with a deadpan expression. "He does. But he likes to change his accent on a dime, depending on what classes he teaches…"

"Aha…" Issei simply replied and went to work with his group, which consisted of him, Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga.

Issei's group was tasked to do spaghetti carbonara and the other groups had to make other things, like salad or pudding. The main purpose of Home Economics was obviously to learn how to cook professionally, so that did not need much explanation from Tatsuki-sensei.

Currently, the three boys were doing their best to make the spaghetti carbonara and were doing rather well. They had to be prodded here and there to work faster and make sure their workplace was clean, but overall, they did well (probably because they had to cook at home together). Ryuga had to admit that he wasn't the best in cooking, but with these three, he could not fail.

That could not be said about some of the other groups though…

"What're ya doing?" said a familiar voice.

The four boys turned to look and saw Sanma and a girl with short black hair making their dish, cabbage soup. And for whatever reason, it didn't smell good.

"I'm putting in salt. Why?" the girl asked, as she poured in the salt into a pot.

"Don't ya think you're putting in way too much salt? I bet even the Salt Sea would taste sweet by comparison," Sanma remarked offhandedly.

The girl did not take this comment lightly. "Are you telling me I cannot cook?" she asked dangerously.

The oblivious pig-tailed boy failed to take hint and rambled on. "Of course. Don't ya ever taste yer own food? Of course, it is…"

"BAKA!" Sanma was cut off by the angry girl's shout and…

[WHAM!]

…was punched across the Home Economics room.

Everybody flinched for a moment and stared at the girl and then at Sanma, before whispering.

"They're at it again," said one boy.

"Does he always have to insult her like that?" said another boy.

"Poor Nakane. She can never take a break," said another girl.

Issei picked up that last remark and turned to Ryuga. "Wait. She is Sanma's fiancée?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately…" Ryuga sighed, while glaring at Sanma, who was still lying sprawled on the ground.

"Why you hit Airen, Kitchen Destroyer?" a girl with long blue hair and a heavy Chinese accent scolded Nakane.

"None of your business, Amazon," Nakane replied rudely.

"What you say?" the Chinese girl got into Nakane's face, neither one of them backing down.

This could have escalated into another fight, but Tatsuki-sensei intervened.

"Mesdames, there will be no violence in the kitchen. So, go out for about ten minutes and cool yourselves off, s'il vous plait," Tatsuki-sensei ordered them.

The two girls were still glaring at each other but nodded in compliance, backed off and walked out the door to the hallway.

After they were gone, Tatsuki-sensei turned his attention to Sanma.

"Pick up the garçon and wake him up. The soup cannot be neglected," Tatsuki-sensei told the class, before heading to his counter to work on the crème brûlée.

After everyone turned back to their own matters and Sanma was taken care off, Issei could not help but ask. "Who is the blue-haired girl?"

"That's Cat Fu. Another one of Sanma's finances," Ryuga said with gritted teeth.

"He has two!?" Matsuda said disbelievingly.

"You don't even know half the story," Ryuga said grimly and focused on his work.

It was clear that with Ryuga's tone of voice that he was not in a mood to speak more about the matter and so the boys continued their work.

Though inwardly…

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 11:23 am – cafeteria, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"I can't believe that Sanma has two financées," Issei complained.

"Yeah! Now I hate him even more," Matsuda said, as he ate some of the leftovers from Home Economics.

The food tasted good. It was interesting to learn how to make all those dishes. The way Tatsuki-sensei described it, it sounded rather easy. The spaghetti they made was good. The salad was nice. The crème-brûlée was excellent – as expected from their teacher.

The soup on the other hand… was so-so… According to Sanma, he said he made the best out of what could have been a death pot. And if that was an improvement of the death pot…

The boys didn't even want to think further about what that entailed.

Instead, they talked about Sanma and his finances- and how Cat Fu was a busty bombshell.

"I can't believe that he gets such a babe! The tomboy is… well… not too bad… but too much on the violent side… but Cat Fu? Mhhhmmm… she has the purrrrfect body…" Motohama said.

Matsuda and Issei agreed eagerly.

"Yeah, and her boobs! Did you see them?" Issei asked Matsuda with saliva filling his mouth.

"Yup. And her butt and her legs. She's just too sexy…" Matsuda started to drool.

Suddenly Issei felt killing intent from behind and…

[Thok!] "Wah!"

…managed to evade some throwing knives coming from behind by ducking.

Issei and his buddies looked to the source of the throwing knives and saw that the knives were thrown by an angry male student with coke glasses and long black hair.

"Nobody… nobody ogles at my Cat Fu…" he breathed out angrily.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Matsuda shouted at the coke-glasses boy.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" Issei shouted indignantly.

"And I'll actually do so if you... Ugh!" the boy was knocked out from behind by someone and fell unconscious to the ground.

"Ryuga!" Motohama called out delighted at their savior for, indeed, it was Ryuga.

"Yeah, it's me…" Ryuga said nonchalantly. He went to them and sat next to them, as if nothing had happened.

The trio, on the other hand, were still stunned and in shock.

Ryuga noticed this and asked them.

"What?" he simply asked.

It was then that the trio finally found their voice.

"Dude! Why are you so calm about this? Someone tried to murder us?" Matsuda demanded.

"Yeah, Sanma and his fiancée are one thing, but this is quite another!" Issei pointed out.

"Oh… sorry…" Ryuga apologized.

Awkward silence reigned in the atmosphere, as the coke-glasses boy was taken away to the infirmary.

"Who was that anyway? And what's his connection to Cat Fu?" Motohama asked.

Ryuga shrugged. "Eh, just Cat Fu's self-proclaimed fiancée, Mouse. He gets very possessive of her and even tries to kill those who make a move on Cat Fu."

"She has another fiancé!?" Issei voiced incredulously. "Just how big is this… love web…?"

"Dunno…" Ryuga shrugged again. "…all I know is that I don't care, as long as I can win Naka- Wait a minute! Never mind!" Ryuga quickly said flustered.

The boys looked at each other and shook their heads. They already knew he was in love with the tomboy and this his attempts to hide his affections were useless.

But what the boys were more concerned were just how crazy some of their classmates were. They just hoped that weren't any more psychopaths like him.

* * *

 _17_ _th_ _September, Tuesday, 11:45 am – Science classroom, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"Now, let us continue with where we left off in our last session: Plant Metabolism…" Tatsuki-sensei said in a standard Japanese accent.

'He's speaking normally. We're on an alright start…' Issei thought in relief upon Tatsuki-sensei speaking and looking like a normal teacher. Honestly, they had enough of the craziness of today and just hoped none of the other students would do something stupid.

Their current class was Bio-Chemistry. It was supposed to cover the theoretical aspects of both their Agricultural and Home Economics classes. An interesting teaching concept, they had to admit.

Just when they were getting immersed into their lesson, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama suddenly felt a glare coming from behind them. They turned around slowly…

"I'll kill you three for humiliating me earlier… and then I'll kill Sanma… and then I can have Cat Fu all for myself… Ehehehe…" Mouse whispered menacingly.

'Oh dear…' Motohama dropped a nervous sweat.

'Can this guy give it a rest already?' Matsuda thought in worry, hoping for the worst not to come true.

'Forget fighting supernatural beings. Who needs them when you've psychopaths like them?' Issei reasoned nervously.

Thankfully, Mouse never attacked them for the duration of the lesson. However, just the mere fact that he was playing around with his knives in class was nerve-racking enough.

Seriously, how come nobody has called the cops on him? Why isn't at the very least sitting in detention. If the two boys from earlier got detention for bringing Marijuana to school, why not Mouse?

Either way, the three boys were glad to go home and do so as quickly as possible after the lesson had finished.

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _September, Wednesday, 5:30 am – Hikarigaoka Park, Nerima_

The next day, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were in the park after their morning run and were about to do some jumping jacks. Once again, it wasn't easy to get up at five am, though this time they saw it coming and prepared themselves better for it. They even made bentos before going to sleep. After arriving at the park, Ryuga showed up a minute after the trio did.

"So, this is where you hang out," Ryuga said, wearing his school uniform, while the trio wore their gym clothes.

"Yeah. And we can train undisturbed," Matsuda stated. "And we do have a good workout, except for martial arts."

"Aha…" Ryuga nodded. So far, he had to admire their enthusiasm, but that wouldn't be enough if they weren't training properly…

 **[And I am their coach]** Ddraig said as the Boosted Gear manifested on Issei's arm.

"What the… Who said that?" Ryuga asked in bewilderment and looked around for the source of the dragon-sounding voice. "Show yourself!"

 **[Be at ease. I am right here in the Boosted Gear]** Ddraig said, getting Ryuga to finally see where his voice was coming from. **[I am Ddraig y Goch, one of the two Heavenly Dragon Emperors, namely the red one. I have lived for thousands of years and have the power to frighten even the gods themselves. I have been incarnated into the hosts of ma-]**

"A Sacred Gear can talk? That's pretty cool. How can I get one of those?" Ryuga asked Issei with interest.

This irked Ddraig, who didn't like to be interrupted during his grand introduction.

 **[You dare interrupt me? How dare you? How dare you treat me like some kind of toy?]** Ddraig told Ryuga angrily.

Ryuga flinched back in shock at Ddraig's anger, leading Issei to calm him down.

"Ddraig calm down, man…" Issei said to Ddraig.

Ddraig was still fuming, but still backed down.

"And as for your question, Ryuga. Unless you've got a Sacred Gear in you, you can't get one," Issei answered.

Ryuga's curiosity only peaked further. "OK. Do I have one?"

"I don't know…" Issei answered truthfully and looked to Ddraig for help.

 **[No!]** Ddraig answered rudely. This caused Ryuga to get angry and things would have gotten worse, hadn't Matsuda and Motohama not stepped in.

"Guys, I think we've got more important things to do. You know like training…?" Matsuda pointed out.

"…especially martial arts…" Motohama added, hoping that would defuse the situation.

And it did. Ddraig and Ryuga stood down and got everyone to do their exercises together.

Ryuga helped contribute a lot in their martial arts exercises, like improving on the most basic of moves, like punches and kicks.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama could feel it. They were making progress – on all levels. It was going to be a long process, yet one worth going through.

In compensation for being taught by Ryuga, the boys would show the functions and abilities of their gifts and the Boosted Gear. Issei showed how his Boosted Gear worked and so far, Ryuga was impressed. Ddraig, on the other hand, was still rather angry at Ryuga for his behavior earlier. But so long as his host could become stronger, Ddraig was willing to bear with him.

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _September, Wednesday, 7:55 am – Computer Room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"Alright class. Today we are going to continue with Html language. You all know the groups you are in. Miss Kuongi? Could you please fill our three transfer students in on what we learned the last time?" said the IT teacher, Kenichi Hoda, who was a thin tall man with a moustache.

Right now, everyone had taken their place in their respective groups that occupied one PC each.

Strangely enough, Ryuga was not in their group. He was in a different group together with those two boys who got into detention because of a joint. Instead they had this girl called Kuongi assigned to them. She was a girl with long brown hair and a white hair tie and looked pretty cute to be honest…

"You're the Hide brothers, aren't you?" she asked in a neutral voice.

"Uh… yeah. We are…" Issei started off nervously and introduced himself. "I'm Issei, this is Matsuda, and this is Motohama."

"Hiya." "Hey, there." Matsuda and Motohama greeted with their best smiles.

Kuongi just ignored their attempts and introduced herself. "My name is Ukyo Kuongi. Pleased to meet you," she simply said.

The boys nodded and were waiting for Ukyu to get them up to speed.

However, instead of doing that, she frowned at Issei because he was giving her an inquisitive look, as if he was inspecting her. Matsuda and Motohama could not help but wonder why Issei was behaving this way until he spoke.

"You're that fry cook from Monday, aren't you?" Issei asked her.

Ukyu, Matsuda and Motohama widened their eyes, the latter two staring at Ukyu.

"Oh! Were you a costumer at my Okonomiyaki stand?" Ukyu replied surprised.

Issei smiled. "You bet we were. Thanks again. The okonomiyaki was great," Issei complimented her.

Matsuda and Motohama stared at her even more intensely, before it finally clicked.

"Yeah, it is her…" Motohama said astounded.

"Yeah. Almost didn't recognize her…" Matsuda added.

Ukyu just laughed nervously. "Ahaha… Thanks… I appreciate your praise…"

"Do you work part-time?" Issei asked curiously.

"Why do you work as a fry cook?" Matsuda asked next.

"How long have you been doing this?" Motohama wanted to know.

Ukyu held up her hands defensively. "Whoa! Guys! Save the questions for later. I need to bring you up to speed for IT classes otherwise you will never catch up!"

The boys calmed down upon hearing that and blushed

"""Sorry…""" the three of them apologized.

Ukyu smiled in response. "It's no problem. Now, here's what you need to know. First…"

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _September, Wednesday, 9:32 am – cafeteria, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"One thing's for sure, I am not going to learn IT," Matsuda said, as he leaned back on his seat.

"Me neither," Issei said as he ate his bread.

"Totally…" Motohama added.

IT classes were interesting – so long as you could understand what the subject matter was all about.

Ukyu had explained what they were learning and although it was still considered elementary, they still could not wrap their heads around it.

But hey! At least, Ukyu was quite the looker!

Oh well… hopefully it would get easier…

"Wait! Don't do this! AH!" a voice screamed while being accompanied by the sound of splashing water.

The boys quickly turned around to see an angry Nakane and what sounded like Sanma with a bucket of water dumped on his head.

"Stupid tomboy!" Sanma angrily said to her before running of while covering his face. The strange thing was that his voice sounded differently…

They simply shook their heads. Must be a routine thing for them… though it was still kind of crazy…

They just hoped they didn't come across something crazier…

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _September, Wednesday, 9:54 am – in the classroom of Class 1-3, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"And now we continue our lesson from last time in Business Economics," said Tatsuki-sensei, who was wearing a bizarre violet business suit, a tie and a Rolex watch that screamed bling-bling.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were sitting there with their mouths agape.

They could not believe what they were seeing. Why was Tatsuki-sensei here? And what was with the outfit? And why was he sounding like a stereotypical American fresh out of an anime!?

They got awoken out of their shock by the sound of the Ryuga snapping his fingers.

"Guys! What are you doing?" Ryuga asked them in a whisper.

"Sorry…" Motohama apologized quietly and rubbed the back his head. "We just… just couldn't believe that Tatsuki-sensei would be our teacher here…"

"…and that he would act all… you know…" Issei gestured stealthily to Tatsuki-sensei.

"Yeah, he does that a lot," Ryuga told them. "He also taught PE last year and when he did, he pretended to be a German…"

"A German? Really?" Matsuda dropped a sweat, before chuckling. "What? Did he dress up as a Nazi?" he asked sarcastically.

"That's exactly why he's no longer teaching PE…" Ryuga answered with a sigh.

"""YOU'VE GOT TO BE F****** KIDDING ME!""" the trio screamed in shock and to everyone else's surprise.

"BOYS! Keep quiet or I'll feed you to the sharks!" Tatsuki-sensei threatened them for their misbehavior.

"Sorry, sensei…" Issei apologized for them all with Matsuda and Motohama nodding in agreement.

After that the lesson continued with no issues and was even interesting (today's topic involved business structures). There were some whispers here and there about the trio, but nothing else.

However, now, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama could no longer think of Tatsuki-sensei without thinking about him wearing an SS-uniform.

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _September, Wednesday, 11:31 am – on the campus grounds, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

The trio was walking with Ryuga to hang out outside. It was a bit chilly, but it wasn't unbearably cold.

While they were looking for a place to hang out, suddenly…

"EVERYONE DUCK!" Matsuda called out, leaving the other three to instinctively follow suit.

[Whoosh!] Three throwing knives flew over their heads and landed harmlessly on the grass a good distance away.

The four boys looked at where the knives came from and saw…

"Mouse…" Ryuga growled.

Indeed. The coke-glasses wearing long-haired boy was once again harassing them with knives.

"I told you that I would kill you for ogling my Cat Fu…" Mouse growled.

Issei was getting pissed. He wanted to tell him off, but Ryuga stepped forward.

"Leave them alone, duck boy," Ryuga insulted Mouse.

"Stay out of this, pig boy," Mouse retorted. "Nobody gets away with ogling my Cat Fu."

"Why don't you win her over instead of trying to kill off the competition?" Ryuga snarked back at him.

"Easy for you to say. What about Nakane? Shouldn't you be doing that, instead of turning into her pet pig and groping her?" Mouse sneered at him.

Ryuga growled at that and threw a blow, which Mouse avoided. Mouse pulled out a knife and started slashing, which Ryuga avoided as well. From there on out, it turned into a martial arts spar, which drew onlookers who cheered for one fighter or the other.

The perverted trio was impressed. So, this was how martial artists fought… They were good… very good… they could only wonder if they could ever reach their level…

Though some question did swirl in Issei's mind…

Duck boy? Pig boy? What's with those nicknames? And what did Mouse mean by turning into a pig and groping Nakane?

Before Issei could contemplate this any further, a bonbori came flying out of nowhere and hit Mouse's head from behind, knocking him out.

The culprit was Cat Fu, who looked displeased at Mouse.

"Stupid duck boy! You leave Cat Fu out of your fight! I am not yours!" she scolded him, even though he was unconscious, and went her way.

Ryuga glared at her from behind for interrupting her match and went back to the dumbfounded trio.

"Does this always happen?" Matsuda asked Ryuga, the crowd dispersing in disappointment of the anti-climactic ending of the match.

"Occasionally," Ryuga shrugged as though it wasn't such a big deal.

"Where did she get that thing from?" Issei asked, as he picked up Cat Fu's bonbori and inspected it.

"Beats me. I don't know how Amazons hide their stuff," Ryuga answered. "And that goes for both the duck boy here and Cat Fu."

"Amazons?" Motohama asked this time.

"Yeah. Chinese Amazons. They are warriors from a warrior village," Ryuga answered, as he stretched his arms and let out a yawn. "Don't worry. You'll get used to them."

Issei wanted to ask Ryuga about what Mouse had meant when he said that Ryuga could turn into a pig. But before he could, Issei felt someone yank the bonbori from his hand.

Issei whirled around and saw Cat Fu to his surprise, who put it away.

"Bonbori is mine. You not allowed to keep it," she told Issei sternly and with a glare in her eyes, only to then turn around and go her way once more.

Issei couldn't help but be shocked. Though he also glared at her from behind. She may be cute and have good curves and all, but something about her attitude rubbed him the wrong way.

"Oh, yeah. Issei?" Ryuga addressed him.

"Yeah?" Issei answered.

"If you ever get into a fight with her. Don't take her lightly. In fact, the way you guys are now, I suggest not to provoke her or make her angry," Ryuga advised him.

Issei nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, Ryuga was right. He could tell just by the vibes emanating from her that she was strong. Issei clenched his fists. One day, he would overtake her in strength and ability and then it would be her looking at him in fear.

"Issei? Are you OK, bro?" Motohama asked worried.

Issei looked at him confused at first, only to then laugh it off.

"Yeah. No problem…" Issei answered with his hand rubbing the back of his head.

That was when the bell rang, and they all headed inside.

Issei couldn't help but be surprised at his negative attitude and wonder… Being a pervert was one thing, but… was he jealous over girls being better than him?

* * *

 _18_ _th_ _September, Wednesday, 11:45 am – in the classroom of Class 1-3, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

Now, Issei had to admit that this class was rather weird. Applied Mathematics. Just what kind of name was that? Now, he understood that it was Mathematics combined with Economics or Science or IT, which wasn't such a bad concept. But it was still a weird name.

"GET BACK HERE, THIEF!"

"YEAH, NOBODY STEALS UNDERWEAR ON OUR WATCH!"

"YOU'LL PAY YOU LETCH!"

Everybody's attention turned to the voices outside. They went to the door and looked out and saw…

"WHOOOOOHOOO! WHAAAT AAAA HAAAUUULL!"

…a lovely small bald old man with what seemed to be a huge knapsack hopped through the hallway with an angry group of girls in tow.

"Not again…" Sanma face palmed as he ran after the old man.

The trio looked at Ryuga for explanation.

"That old man was Sanma's grandmaster, Hentai, and he really likes to steal underwear. It's kind of like a hobby for him – that old fletcher," Ryuga spat out in disgust at the old man's antiques.

"OK…" Issei nodded.

He presumed that this was also part of the school's weird antiques and decided to dismiss it. Until something clicked. He had a question. How did that old man steal all that underwear from the girls anyway and come out one step ahead of them?

Though Issei did his best to focus on the lesson, he could not help but ponder about it.

Then again, the day had been hectic and full of events. Not even the English lesson with Asumi-sensei after that could distract him from thinking about it all.

* * *

 _19_ _th_ _September, Thursday, 6:45 am – Hikarigaoka Park, Nerima_

 **[Boost!]**

 **[You're past the five Boost mark! Great job! Now continue to six]** Ddraig said delighted.

He finally made it beyond five boosts. Issei had to admit that he never believed that he could get this far. But as the saying goes: No pain, no gain.

Now on to the next five minutes…

"GET LOST!" "Whoa!"

Issei's concentration was broken by the sound of Ryuga shouting. Issei fell down like a clumsy ox to the ground.

 **[Reset!]**

Issei glared at Ryuga after his strength went back to zero.

"Hey! What's the big deal!" Issei reprimanded Ryuga.

"Sorry. I thought I saw someone watching us from the trees…" Ryuga said, as he remained vigilant and wandered his gaze from one tree to the next.

"Well, could you at the very least not shout? I was about to improve my record until you disturbed me!" Issei said grumpily.

"Well… Sooorrrry!" Ryuga answered annoyed and continued his own training, which involved him lifting some heavy rocks.

Issei looked at him in envy. 'Someday… I'll overtake you… I swear I will…'

* * *

 _19_ _th_ _September, Thursday, 10:12 am – Textile room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"Now, get into your groups and work on your assignments," said Hayashibara-sensei, a red-haired woman with a pig tail. She was a pretty attractive teacher. Not as sexy as Asumi-sensei, but she still was a hot one.

The class had divided themselves into groups and sat at their respective tables in order to do…

"…sewing? Really?" Matsuda dropped a sweat, as he looked upon the fabric in his hands.

"What kind of purpose is there in learning all this?" Issei asked Ryuga, as he too inspected the fabric along with the sewing machine.

"I think it had to do with fashion designing…" Ryuga answered.

"Really?" Motohama dropped a sweat.

"Uhuh…" Ryuga affirmed.

After a moment of awkward silence, the boys went to work. It was decided that Ryuga would lead the boys in giving them directions on what to do, since he was the most experienced in this. Matsuda would do the measuring, Motohama would do the cutting and Issei would get the material needed for the assignment.

After a few minutes, they made progress and made…

"What's that supposed to be?" said Sanma with a mischievous grin.

"It's supposed to be a glove, Raotome. Can't you tell?" Ryuga replied annoyed, as he showed

"Haha! It looks tiny to me. Ya making it for a baby?" Sanma said mockingly.

Ryuga fumed at this. He wanted to clobber him but decided on turning his attention to Sanma's work. He could see Cat Fu, Ukyu and Nakane working their best on making a shirt. Sanma noticed Ryuga's gaze and smirked.

"Ya see that? This is how ya do it!" Sanma pointed a thumb at the girls.

"Pff… Yeah, let the girls do the dirty work… I bet if you were the one doing the job, you wouldn't be laughing…" Ryuga sneered.

"Hey! They insisted on doing this…" Sanma said nonchalantly while shrugging his shoulders.

Meanwhile, the three girls were glaring and even arguing with each other, while working.

"He is my fiancé and that's that," Nakane told Ukyu and Cat Fu.

"No, Sanma my fiance. He defeat me and so is Airen," Cat Fu argued back in heavily accented Japanese.

"No way! You two couldn't hold a candle to me! I am San-chan's fiancee! I've known him before any of you did!" Ukyu said out loud angrily.

Suddenly, the sound of crashing was heard. The girls and everybody in class turned and saw Issei, Matsuda and Motohama crash to the ground. And then they heard them wail.

"WAAAHHHH! This isn't fair!" Motohama cried out.

"FIRST, THE TOMBOY! THEN THE CHINESE CHICK! AND NOW UKYU! WAAAHHH!" Matsuda wailed.

"YOU ARE A PRICK! YOU KNOW THAT, RAOTOME!?" Issei shouted.

"QUIET DOWN! You boys will behave! Or you will head to detention!" Hayashibara-sensei told the trio with authority.

"""Sorry, ma'am…""" the boys said in unison as they got up and took their seats. They resumed their work quietly.

Sanma simply gave them a look of annoyance, before turning his face to Ryuga one more time.

"Ya new friends sure are weird, ain't they?" Sanma remarked before going back to his table.

Ryuga simply sighed. "Yeah… I know…"

* * *

 _19_ _th_ _September, Thursday, 11:50 am – Computer room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

After the break had ended, they found themselves in the computer room once more. Why? Because of…

"…Media Design classes? Now that sounds… pretty cool…" Issei nodded and seemed legitimately interested.

What's more, the topic is creating logos for advertisements – quite an interesting topic.

Their teacher was once again Hayashibara-sensei, who had a watchful eye on any disturbances that might occur.

Anyway, designing things on the computer was rather fun for Issei, Matsuda and Motohama. They could easily consider this the best class they had so far. It would have been the perfect double period ever, had it not been for Sanma and his lovers wrangling over him.

"You not good enough to be partner. I better!" Cat Fu said to Nakane.

"What does someone from an isolated village like you know about computers? I am the one who is best suited for Sanma," Nakane argued.

"Please! We all know, you have poor grades in Media Designing. Obviously, I should be Sanma's partner," Ukyu pointed out.

"In your dreams!" Nakane shot back angrily.

"In all your dreams! Airen belongs to me!" Cat Fu insisted.

Sanma said nothing, instead trying his best to stay out of the fight and hope the three of them calm down.

The trio could not help but feel jealous once again.

"Why does he always get all the girls?" Issei mumbled.

"Totally! What's so special about him?" Matsuda added.

"You know, I ask myself that every day and I still don't know why," Ryuga said while glaring at Sanma.

Just then, the class was interrupted by the sound of loud laughter coming from outside.

"OHOHOHOHOHO!"

That was when a black-haired girl with a ponytail and a... green leotard… came landing on the windowsill.

"Ko-Komachi!" Sanma called out startled.

"OHOHO! I have come to see you, Darling. OHOHOHO!" the girl named Komachi said with an abnormal laughter.

The whole class fixed their attention on the girl class had mainly three reactions. Some were just staring blankly. Others were looking at her with lust. And others were glaring at her angrily, like Ukyu, Nakane and Cat Fu.

"You get away from him, you lunatic!" Nakane shouted at Komachi.

"Airen have me! Has no need of you!" Cat Fu shouted as well.

"Yeah, so get lost!" Ukyu told her angrily.

Komachi glared at the three girls with annoyance. "Oh, how very unlucky of me to see you three here… Oh well, I shall take my leave… I hope to see you again, dearest Sanma! OHOHOHO!" Komachi leapt off the windowsill and used her… gymnastics ribbon… to swing from one place to the other.

While the class stared at Komachi swinging away, the perverted trio were in the fourth category. Depression.

"Not another one…" Issei moaned.

"Just how lucky is this guy?" Motohama wailed.

"A gymnast… he has a gymnast as a girlfriend… I wish I had her…" Matsuda sobbed comically.

Ryuga was in category five. Not focused on Komachi, but more worried at the trio's sanity.

"Are you guys all right?" Ryuga dropped a sweat.

The perverted trio would remain depressed for the rest of the day, even though Asumi-sensei was teaching History in their class. Even that could not cheer them up.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 7:31 am – Hikarigaoka Park, Nerima_

Thankfully, time heals all wounds and the boys were back to their usual routine of training. By now, Issei was already learning some sparring with Ryuga. Thanks to the Boosted Gear, he was able to last as well as he did. Matsuda and Motohama not so much… but they were still learning…

Then again, Issei wondered whether they could ever catch up with him in physical strength. Having a Sacred Gear with the power to kill gods did give Issei massive advantages – in many ways someone without one could only dream of achieving…

But no time to worry about that. He needed to get ready for school. Ryuga had already gone ahead. He said he had things to do there and…

[Whoosh!]

Suddenly, Issei felt wind pass by him, like somebody was rushing past him. And for some reason, he felt like something was missing inside his pants…

"AAAAAGH!" a shout came from a distance. Issei ignored the weird feeling he had and rushed straight to the source.

The one shouting was a flustered Motohama, who was clutching his crotch area for some reason.

"Dude! What's wrong?" Issei asked concerned.

"I don't know! One moment I was training and the next moment, my underwear was gone!" Motohama said.

That was when Issei widened his eyes and put his hand under his pants… Oh no!

"Mine is gone, too!" Issei cried out in embarrassment.

"AGH! NOOO!" they heard Motohama screaming, too.

Issei and Matsuda ran to Motohama and saw that he also had his underwear stolen from him.

"Was your underwear stolen from you as well?" Matsuda asked the blushing Motohama.

"As well? Don't tell me…" Motohama began.

"Unfortunately…" Issei answered with a blush.

 **[And that is why dragons don't have underwear… hihihi…]** Ddraig joked and laughed from the Boosted Gear.

"SHUT THE FRIGG UP, LIZARD!" Issei yelled at Ddraig.

Matsuda and Motohama glared at the Boosted Gear but said nothing to him and turned back to the conversation at hand.

"What are we going to do?" asked Motohama.

"We could go look for our underwear…" Issei suggested.

But Matsuda shook his head. "No time! We've got to get to school!"

"Yeah, but…" Issei wanted to argue at how uncomfortable that made him, but Matsuda cut him off.

"It's too late to do anything about it. Besides, we're wearing pants, so it's not like someone is going to peek at us from below or anything," Matsuda reasoned.

Issei and Motohama were still skeptical but felt like they had no other choice. They took their bags and hurried to school – at least as well as they could without underwear in their pants.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 8:05 am – manufacturing room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

The trio arrived in class acting as normally as they could. But walking around with every step felt weird for them. They may have been perverts, but they were not exhibitionists! At least they were sitting down now, so at least things would not get out of hand.

Anyway, they had other things to focus their minds on, such as Craftsmanship classes with Yamagishi-sensei. Now, Yamagishi-sensei was a small thin man with signs of baldness. He was not only their Craftsmanship teacher but also their teacher in Practiced Physics, which they would have after PE lessons.

"Now, Hide-san, Hide-san and Hide-san," Yamagishi-sensei addressed the perverted trio. "You three will work with Raotome-san here and continue on his project."

The trio was shocked and so was Sanma. Sanma raised his hand.

"Sensei! Why can't ya let me do my project by myself? I can do fine on my own," Sanma spoke.

"Because, Raotome-san, this is a group effort of four. You should be working together with others and learn how to get along with them, something I know you have been lacking in my lessons," Yamagishi-sensei pointed out.

"Yeah. But can't ya at least let me work together with…" Sanma glanced over to Nakane, Ukyu and Cat Fu. But Yamagishi-sensei was having none of it.

"No, they already are a group together with Nabiki-san, so it is out of the question," Yamagishi-sensei pointed out.

Ryuga was smirking at Sanma who was glaring back at him. Cat Fu, Nakane and Ukyu just sighed much to Ryuga's dismay. And Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were glaring at Ryuga as well.

'Traitor…' Issei thought.

'How dare that guy abandon us for some cute girls?' Matsuda grumbled inwardly.

'As though this day did not start bad enough!' Motohama thought annoyed, still worried about his missing undergarment.

"Oh! And seeing that you are almost done with your own project, Raotome-san," Yamagishi-sensei quickly added. "I recommend that you quickly finish yours and start a new one with the Hide brothers. And as for the rest of the class, you have until next week to finish yours before we move on."

Sanma groaned. "Why me…?"

"Because you are so good at it. Now get moving," the Craftsmanship teacher said, ending the conversation here and there.

And thus, the perverted trio had to work together with Sanma on their new project. But first they had to wait until he was finished with his first project, which was…

"…a miniature train set!?" Matsuda voiced in surprise.

Indeed. It was a train with three wagons, made of wood and connected to suspenders. One wagon was about 30 cm long, 7,5 cm wide and 15 cm tall from the wheels to the roof. And all of it looked well-crafted…

"You guys don't do anything. I just wanna do the final touches," Sanma told the boys neutrally and got to work on the wheels, which… could roll?

Holy crap! Just how good was Sanma in this!?

Within a few minutes of observing, Sanma was done and presented his work to the teacher.

"Good job, once more. Now, you can work with the Hide brothers on a new project," Yamagishi-sensei instructed Sanma.

"Do I really have to…?" Sanma groaned to which the short teacher nodded.

Sanma went back to the trio and sat down at his seat.

"All right. How good are ya three in workin' with wood?" Sanma asked tired, making it clear he did not enjoy being in their company.

The trio felt the same way but felt the need to swallow whatever dislike they had about the pig-tailed boy and cooperate.

"Not much." "Me neither." "Can't say that I ever have."

Sanma sighed. Amateurs.

"All right. Here's the deal. We'll make a small project simple enough for ya three to do. My proposal is that each of ya make a small shelf for themselves. It's simple and should not take long…" Sanma instructed the three of them.

Issei, Matsuda and Motohama nodded along. They've never done something like this before, so they decided that listening to Sanma was the best choice. Besides, how hard could making a shelf possibly be?

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 8:45 am – manufacturing room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

It turned out that it was more difficult than they imagined.

"Don't put strength into yer sawing! All ya gonna do is break the wood crudely. Saw it gentler."

"Use sandpaper to round off the edges. Don't tire on it."

"Make sure ya blow off the sawdust. And make sure the positions of the nails are correct."

It turned out that not only were doing things wrong but Sanma was constantly looking over their shoulder and telling them what to do. That… was so… irritating! Every few minutes, he had something to complain about! It was just a simple shelf (or three). Why was making one such a big deal? Why on earth did they have to be grouped together with him?

To be fair there were rules about craftsmanship that Issei, Matsuda and Motohama did not know about, such as the ones Sanma hammered into them. But it was still annoying!

And if that was not enough, they had to do most of the work while standing. And with their underwear gone… The trio was crying internally.

'Why always us…?' Matsuda wailed with his face barely keeping his emotions in check from bawling like a baby.

'I hate this!' Motohama screamed internally in frustration, equally trying as hard as he could from bawling as well.

'First, our underwear is gone. Next, we end up working under Sanma like slaves, while Ryuga is hanging out with the ladies…' Issei ranted in his mind.

 **[Your next words are going to be: Could this day possibly get any worse?]** Ddraig suddenly spoke in Issei's mind.

"Could this day possibly get any wor-?" Issei accidentally said out loud, making him startled upon realizing of what he just said.

 **[You said the forbidden words!]** Ddraig laughed.

What happened next startled everyone in class.

[BAM!]

"DAMN YOU, DDRAIG!" Issei shouted out loud, while slamming a fist against a cupboard in frustration of being trolled.

This led to the unfortunate consequence of fate proving itself to Issei once again. For Issei hit the cupboard so hard that it fell on… Cat Fu! Ukyu, Ryuga and Nakane managed to dodge in time. But Cat Fu was facing away from the cupboard and thus was like a deer caught in the headlights.

[BOOM!] "AIYA!"

Cat Fu could only cry out as the cupboard impacted on her.

Then there was silence in the class. Everyone turned to stare at Issei, who looked scared and nervous at the blunder he had caused. He wanted to defend himself until…

[BOOOOOM!] An even louder boom broke the cupboard into many pieces, as Cat Fu rose to her feet angrily.

"YOU!" Cat Fu pointed at Issei. "YOU DO THIS! YOU HUMILIATE CAT FU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Oh, dear grandpa, who is in Heaven…" Issei swore, as he turned his eyes to heaven for a short prayer.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 8:50 am – in the hallways of Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"GET BACK HERE!"

"YAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

A wild goose chase was happening in the school hallway and right now, Issei was the goose and Cat Fu was the… giant cat (I had to make something up!).

Issei looked behind him and could see that Cat Fu was out for his blood. She even had…

…*gasp*!

"CAT FU CUT YOU INTO PIECES!" she screamed with a Chinese sword in her hand.

"HELP! SHE IS TRYING TO KILL ME!" Issei screamed, as he ran upstairs.

However, Cat Fu was in hot pursuit and was getting closer.

Issei was getting panicky. If she got to him, he was dead! Issei had to think of something! Something to get him away from this mess! Only, what could…?

[BAM!] "OUCH!" "YOW!"

Suddenly, Issei bumped into someone while rounding at a corner. As he opened his eyes, Issei saw a noteworthy sight.

"Eh?"

Issei saw on the floor what seemed to be lots of boys' underwear on a pile on top of a piece of cloth. And among them was his own! But how did it get here?

That was when his eyes wandered to the figure of a small old man trying to get his bearings.

"OW! You know, boy, that hurt!" the old man groaned. "You should watch where you're going!"

But Issei paid his words no heed. Instead, he thought back at when he and his buddies lost their underwear this morning… and then at how he saw an old man run away with this knapsack and an angry horde of girls in tow… and what Ryuga had told him about that old man and his love for stealing underwear…

It clicked.

That little troll wasn't stealing girls' underwear. He was stealing boys' underwear! The whole reason for this mess…

And Issei reacted.

"YOU PIECE OF S***! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Issei shouted and lunged at him.

But the old man reacted fast. Within a blink of an eye, he disappeared, leaving the pile of underwear behind, and swooped past him and to who knows where.

"Ugh!" Issei grunted, as he fell with a thud unto the floor for some reason.

That was when Cat Fu caught up, ready to kill Issei.

"YOU! I KI-! YAGH!" Cat Fu froze in her tracks with widened eyes and gaping mouth.

Issei wondered why she froze until he realized…

His pants was down to his ankles! And seeing that he had no underwear on…

Issei blushed and quickly covered his crotch but the damage had already been done.

The shock was too much for Cat Fu and she fell down unconscious.

"Oh, great! There goes my school life!" Issei cursed, as he scrambled to get his underwear and put it on before someone else saw him.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 9:36 am – on campus grounds, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

It was not a pleasant experience.

The vice-principal, Yusa Misai, demanded to know from him, Yamagishi-sensei and the now awake Cat Fu what had happened. Cat Fu angrily told the principal about how Issei pushed down a cupboard on her and how Issei then proceeded to flash her with his manhood in the hallway.

Yamagishi-sensei confirmed only the first past of her account.

Issei vigorously defended himself, saying that all this was an accident and related to everything he saw, including the panty thief and how he didn't have any underwear on him all day because of him.

Issei now regretted that last statement, seeing that it led to gawks and stares.

In the end, Issei was told to sit in detention until next Friday. Cat Fu was punished as well for bringing and using a sword in school. She, too, was sent to detention until next Friday.

Before the vice-principal dismissed them, she told them both to improve their behavior or else they would face suspension.

Issei left her office and headed back to class, only to find out that it had already ended. He met up with Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga and enjoying lunch with them. They were currently seated on some benches and had almost fallen over from laughter at what Issei told them.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga were keeling over and laughing themselves to death.

"Oh, come on! That wasn't funny!" Issei yelled at them angrily with a blushing face.

"WAHAHAHA… SO-SO-RRY! WAHAHAHAHA! IT'S JUST… TOO FUNNY! WAHAHAHAHA!" Ryuga howled in laughter.

"TOTALLY! AHAHAHAHA!" Matsuda laughed in agreement.

Issei gritted his teeth irritated. But it was then that he realized something.

He smirked. And pulled out something from his pants pockets.

Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga stopped laughing.

"What are those?" Ryuga asked, while wiping a tear from his eye after calming down.

"What these? Those are the underwear of the not-underwear-wearing Matsuda and Motohama here," Issei answered with a smug look on his face.

Ryuga looked at them both in shock. As for Matsuda and Motohama, they blushed furiously and then shouted at Issei in anger.

"YOU SON OF A…" "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!?"

"What comes around, comes around," Issei simply replied.

After that Matsuda and Motohama went to the bathroom to put their underwear on.

Issei, now alone with Ryuga, simply asked him. "So… What did I miss in class?"

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 10:03 am – in the gym, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"Get moving, boys!" Shu-sensei, a bulky bald man with a moustache and sun glasses, yelled, getting the boys to run.

It was PE class and the boys were running laps around the hallway.

The perverted trio had to sigh. If only, they had known…

…then they could have watched the girls undress… but all that drama about losing their underwear and then retrieving it made them forget all about it. Pretty ironic, come to think of it…

Even stranger was the fact that when it came to dealing with that old leather from earlier, it turned out that the girls were the ones chasing him, even though it was the boys' underwear. Why? Probably because the boys were lazy or even inattentive.

But worrying about it did nothing, so they set their minds back on gym class…

Fortunately, for Issei, Matsuda and Motohama, they had been quite fit – and some of the fastest in class. Their morning runs truly paid off.

Unfortunately, though…

"I'M FASTER THAN YOU, PORK BOY!"

"NO WAY! I AM!"

…sigh… Sanma and Ryuga were the fastest. None of them could figure out who was faster, so they figured they were equally fast. But those two just couldn't leave it at running…

"HA!" "ATAH!"

…they had to punch and kick at each other, too! They watched them dodge and block and counter each other's attacks… Did they really have to show off?

"WATAH!" "OUCH!"

Did they really have to punch Matsuda in the face, too?

Matsuda somehow found himself between them and smashed in the face by both Ryuga and Sanma, leading him to collapse and tumble before lying still.

""MATSUDA!"" Issei and Motohama cried out.

The whole class stopped running and gathered around Matsuda. They made sure that the unconscious and bleeding Matsuda was carried to the nurse's office. And as for who was at fault…

"YOU TWO! CAN'T YOU TWO EVER STOP YOUR FIGHTING!?" Shu-sensei shouted at Sanma and Ryuga.

"But it ain't my fault, sensei! Ryuga was the one!" Issei blamed the bandana boy.

"No way! Sanma's the one!" Ryuga pointed at Issei.

"YOU ARE BOTH AT FAULT! YOU TWO STARTED THIS FIGHT AND NOW YOU WILL SIT ON THE BENCH UNTIL I COME BACK!" Shu-sensei shouted before leaving the gym.

Issei could not help but worry and wonder.

Worry because Matsuda was out like a light. Wonder because of Shu-sensei had in store for them.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 1:43 pm – in the school infirmary, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"Ugh…" Matsuda awoke with a groan.

The first thing he saw was the white ceiling and when he propped himself up, he could see Motohama sitting on a chair. Upon seeing him awaken, Motohama could not help but be relieved.

"Thank goodness, dude! You're awake!" Motohama said in relief.

"Wha…? Where…?" Matsuda mumbled.

"You're in the nurse's office. You were brought here after Ryuga and Sanma knocked you out. You were lucky! The way you got hit looked quite painful. You were even bleeding! Thank God, that's been taken care of," Motohama answered Matsuda in detail.

Matsuda felt himself and winced in pain. He had bandages on his head where they had injured him. He bet he looked like a mummy.

"How long have I been out?" Matsuda wanted to know.

Motohama looked at the clock hanging in the room before turning back to Motohama.

"About four and a half hours," Motohama answered.

"I see… and where's Issei?" Matsuda asked next.

"In detention – along with that Cat Fu chick and Sanma and Ryuga. Sanma and Ryuga were also sent to detention for what they did to you today," Motohama replied.

"Oh…" Matsuda voiced in surprise. He remembered the fact that Issei still had to serve out his punishment for dropping that cupboard on Cat Fu.

But to think that Ryuga and Sanma would be in detention, too – along with Cat Fu? That really was peculiar.

Speaking of Cat Fu, Matsuda hoped Issei would not get torn into shreds there because of her.

"And to think all of that would happen in one day…" Matsuda said to himself out loud.

"Huh?" Motohama voiced confused.

"No, no… I wasn't talking to you. I was… just thinking to myself about just how much chaos could happen in one day," Matsuda reminisced.

Motohama recovered from his shock and leaned on his arm propped on a nearby table and nodded.

"I agree. Back when we were at Kuoh Academy, the only chaos we ever had to deal with was peeping and being beaten up by the Kendo Club. Now, we get into fights, chaos, trouble, embarrassing or comical situations – without the peeping. It really sucks!" Motohama complained.

"Yeah, I agree but… is the current situation really that bad? I mean, yeah. There was all that stuff but there also were a lot of interesting and funny situations, too – especially the people here. Where else can you find people like Ryuga or guys like… um… the ones with the Marijuana…" Matsuda tried to remember their names.

"You mean Daisuke and Hiroshi?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, them! My point is, I really like this place, don't you?" Matsuda asked Motohama.

Motohama had to think for a bit. After a few moments, he answered.

"Yeah, I guess I do, too," Motohama answered.

After that they ran out of things to say.

"Oh, I forgot!" Motohama suddenly remembered and brought out his school file. "Our last lesson for today was Practiced Physics. Here are the papers for it and this is our homework."

Matsuda sighed in fatigue. "Really? Homework? And what's Practiced Physics anyway?"

"Something about Physics is used in our Craftsmanship and PE lessons and how we are supposed to apply it if we were to go into those fields in the future," Motohama answered.

"Ugh… I… just give me a break! I've got had enough Practiced Physics for one day. I just go punched by overwhelming physical forces from both sides just today!" Matsuda half complained and half joked, leading Motohama to laugh out loud.

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 1:56 pm – in the detention room, Furinkan Vocational School, Nerima_

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO THREW THE FIRST BLOW!"

"YEAH, BUT YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TRIED TO DO IT FIRST! I WAS JUST DEDENDING MYSELF!"

"I win again!"

"Dang it!"

"Airen! I love you! I have you all by myself!"

Issei groaned at his detention mates.

Sanma and Ryuga were arguing once again about who was to blame for their mess.

Hiroshi and Daisuke were playing poker and Hiroshi was winning constantly for some reason.

Cat Fu was glomping Sanma and declaring her love to him, even when the latter was ignoring her.

Issei tried his best to wait until the end of detention by sleeping but the noise made that difficult…

 **[And you are back in jail]**

…and Ddraig did not make this any easier.

'Shut up! This is your fault! If you weren't trying to channel Joseph Joestar's trolling, I wouldn't be here!' Issei angrily replied mentally.

 **[But you have to admit it was a good one]** Ddraig said mischievously.

'Not when it gets me into trouble like now!' Issei argued back.

Issei ended the conversation right there and tried to take a nap. But he couldn't because of the noise.

"Somebody knock me out!" Issei demanded to no one in particular.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Ryuga yelled at Sanma.

"PERVERTED PIG! CAUSE YA LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT TO SLEEP ON NAKANE'S LAP WITHOUT HER KNOWING!" Sanma shouted back.

"SANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!" Ryuga suddenly raised his table and threw it at Sanma, only for him to dodge and hit…

"OUCH!"

…Issei instead, who fell into a painful but much desired sleep.

'Finally…' was Issei's last thought before losing consciousness.

* * *

 **And that was the filler chapter of The Lone Vigilante Issei.**

 **Now, originally I had planned to have the boys merely go through the daily school lessons, so as to give us an idea on what their classes were and who their teachers were. The parts involving their new training routine was something I added in later.**

 **The part where Issei convinces Ryuga to train them was also something I inadvertently added in. Its drama felt kind of out of place in a chapter that is supposed to be comedic but I guess what's done is what's done.**

 **For those who know Ranma ½ will definitely have enjoyed seeing their lookalikes. If you had wanted to see more, you would have to wait, since this chapter went way beyond what I had planned.**

 **Also, it took me significant effort to figure out just what these characters were going to be like and what they were going to do. After all, while they were supposed to be similar to their original characters, they are still different characters in general – especially the grandmaster, who is into male underwear instead of female ones.**

 **The character designs for the teachers were completely original and so were their quirks, except Hayashibara-sensei (look up the name and who the person with this name voiced).**

 **I hope I didn't disappoint you with the long wait. I really hope I work on the next chapter fast enough to get it out and if not, my profile will give more details.**

 **What did you think about this chapter?**

 **Please read and review. I would like to hear from you.**

 **Before I end this chapter, let me throw in this one scene before I leave.**

* * *

 _20_ _th_ _September, Friday, 5:35 pm – in the hallway, Kuoh Academy, Kuoh_

It was late and everybody was going home. That included the Kendo Club.

Murayama and Katase had just finished dressing up and were on their way home.

While on their way through the hallway, Murayama stepped on a newspaper.

Both girls frowned. Could this school ever be kept clean? There was enough dirt on campus, did they have to litter the hallway? Add Aika Kiryu's weird campus antiques to the mix and you had nuisances in abundance.

Katase picked it up and threw it in the nearest bin and walked home with Murayama.

Had they taken they taken the time to read the newspaper, they would have discovered the headline "Mysteriously Large Feathers found in Tokyo - Uber-giant vultures living in Tokyo?"

* * *

 **I hope to see you next time.**

 **Until then.**

 **Hide Shinyama**


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